Burdened
by Laurelin the Pale
Summary: Loki got away with his betrayal of an innocent woman for more than eight hundred years. When he finds himself beholden to her for saving his life, he is forced to remain in her company and face the reasons for his past misdeeds. Will the bitterness consume him, or will he be transformed? Loki/Eir.
1. Prologue Part 1

A/N: This story will contain somewhat graphic descriptions of violence/medical procedures and sex. You have been warned. If these things upset you, then please go play in the less vivid imagination of others. For those of you brave enough to stay, thank you.

Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love. - John le Carre

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves  
By each let this be heard  
Some do it with a bitter look  
Some with a flattering word  
The coward does it with a kiss  
The brave man with a sword"

-Oscar Wilde

Prologue - Part 1

Eight hundred years ago

"And what would I do with a wife?" Loki jested, covering for his obvious displeasure at the news of his betrothal as he stood before Odin and Frigga in all of the formality of the throne room. Clearly, his father had a newly-discovered sense of humor.

"Don't be coy," Odin said, standing now, his staff firmly in his right hand. "There are at least a dozen nobleman's daughters who can attest to the fact that you know exactly what to do with a wife." Odin's patience with his son's obstinacy was wearing thin.

It was Frigga's gentle touch on Odin's arm that calmed him, and he sat back down. "Oh, Loki," she said with the kindness and concern of a mother, rather than a Queen. "You are one of the most gifted sorcerers Asgard has ever been blessed with." Elegantly gliding down the steps to the base of the platform, she took Loki's hands in hers, feeling his posture soften at her touch. "There is no greater joy in life than children, ones that you will guide through their studies. As you know, our greatest wielders of magic were killed in the war with Jotunheim. The responsibility for the magic that protects Asgard, shields its cities and its warriors, forges its greatest weapons, and decimates our enemies now falls to the next generations. To you, and your children. We have chosen a wife for you with equal, yet complementary skills, and your children will inherit the best of your talents as well as hers." Loki rolled his eyes at her but didn't pull away. Frigga leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear. "There will come a time of great destruction, when Asgard must have its great magics reforged, and that responsibility will fall to you and to your wife. I have foreseen it. Please, my son, do not fight us on this."

She kissed her son's cheek but didn't step away. She only gave him the look that had always melted his resolve, ever since he was a child. It was the look that said "please don't disappoint me or your father as we have such high expectations of you."

Loki sighed, knowing that for the time being, there was no direct way out. "I suppose you have a wife picked out for Thor as well?" Deflection bought him time to think.

"Your brother's marriage is an ongoing topic of discussion," Odin said sternly. "Yours is not. You will marry at midsummer, in one month's time, and you will do it with a smile on your face for the sake of Asgard, if not your own. You will treat your new wife with the honor and respect that she is due or you shall answer to me for your disobedience. This marriage protects the future of Asgard and all of the Nine Realms as well as our family's continued rule. Do I make myself clear?" Odin was nearly shouting by the time he finished.

"Well, when you put it that way," Loki smiled his most pleasant smile while silently seething inside, "how can I refuse?" He spread his arms wide and paced several steps at the base of the throne, appearing to all those present to be casually accepting of the arrangement. "Am I to meet my betrothed before our wedding day, or is that also meant to be a surprise?"

Odin was not amused. "It is the Lady Eir, one of the Queen's former students, and her handmaiden for a time. I am certain you remember her. Not only is she of royal blood, she possesses extraordinary magical talent. The Queen also tells me that the lady is exceptionally patient and kind, qualities a wife of yours will certainly need in abundance. She is an excellent match for you."

Loki remembered Eir, though she had long been absent at court… something about training on the other worlds? Healing, yes, that was it. She was a healer. She was nearly the same age and if he remembered correctly, not unappealing physically. They took their lessons together when they were children, in politics and history as well as magic. He had seen her a handful of times in the last century but they had not spoken.

He schooled his face into a look of calm acceptance. If memory served, there was one quality Lady Eir possessed that made her absolutely perfect: she was meek. He could work with that. "And when will my intended return to Asgard? I should like us to become reacquainted with one another before we are so quickly...thrust together, you might say."

It was Odin's turn to roll his eyes and glare at his wife, as if her indulgence of Loki was the cause of his disrespect. "She will arrive in two days, when your betrothal will be formally announced at a banquet." Odin held up his hand, silencing any further inquiries from Loki. "Now go. Your mother and I have much to discuss."

With that curt dismissal, he returned to his chambers to plot. His father may have plans to curtail his ambition by marrying him off to breed children with some quiet little woman, but Loki refused to be neutered just because his brother was the firstborn and heir. Asgard was doomed if an idiot like Thor ascended to the throne. The Nine Realms deserved better.

Two days later

Frigga's hands worried over the pleats in Eir's nearly transparent veil as the younger woman tried to settle her nerves. She had not seen Loki for many years, but she remembered feeling a certain attraction to him, if not a desire to outshine him in their studies. He may have been better at offensive magic and illusion, but she much more easily mastered healing and protection magic. While she always considered them to be friendly rivals, both in search of excellence, she always suspected there was more to him, concealed carefully underneath the prince's pleasant façade, but the Queen would not have made the match if Loki had not matured, of that she felt certain.

The Queen stood back and smiled. "Do not worry, my child. He will grow to love you, as Odin did with me. When you bear his first child, I truly believe it will settle him, and he will take that responsibility very seriously."

"May we talk privately, my Queen?" Eir glanced at the servants, which Frigga promptly dismissed.

"What is it, child?"

"I want to thank you, for everything you have done for me. You have been a mother to me, Your Highness, and far kinder than I ever hoped when I was sent here. That said, may I be honest with you?"

"Of course!" Frigga sat and motioned for Eir to do the same.

"I cannot guarantee that I will be able to produce an heir with the prince," she said hesitantly. "Even if I were to conceive, there are no guarantees that I could carry the child to term."

Frigga looked down at her hands and sighed. "That is a risk we all take in marrying. The Aesir and the Vanir both experience such difficulties far more frequently that we would like."

"My Queen, may I speak openly?" Eir asked. Frigga nodded cautiously. "I know what he is."

The Queen's face froze into the practiced smile of one used to the intrigues of court. "And what is that, my dear?"

"He is a frost giant. Matings between Jotuns and Aesir or Vanir, while usually the product of rape, frequently result in the death of the mother and the child. Loki was a fortunate exception, and while a child produced of our union has no precedent…"

"Who told you?" Frigga asked quietly.

"No one told me," Eir said. "I felt it when I healed him."

"When?" Frigga had no memory of such an event.

"When we were children."

"You were forbidden to use your magic on each other, or without supervision, were you not?"

"Yes, but Loki tried a new spell before you arrived in the practice room one day. I think he was trying to impress me, but the magic reflected back upon him and burned his arm to the bone. He was in pain, and I knew how to stop it, so I healed the injury. He made me swear not to tell you. I didn't understand what I had felt or seen during the healing until I spent time in Laufey's court, healing Jotuns. At the time, all I knew was the threat in his words, but I don't think that he knew what he was then. He was more concerned with disappointing you by violating your rules than of what I may have learned."

"He still doesn't know, Eir."

"What?" Eir lifted the veil and stared open-mouthed at the Queen.

"We never wanted him to feel different or alone here. At first, we wanted to wait until he was an adult, but the time never seemed right. Odin was going to tell you both after you were married. We believe your abilities will make it possible for you to safely have children, since they will be only one quarter Jotun." Frigga's shoulders slumped and she rested her head in her hands. "We should have told you before. Know that we will not hold it against you if you do not wish to proceed."

Eir rested her hand gently upon the other woman's forearm. "My Lady, I have known that truth for many years. If I wanted to voice an objection, I would have done so long before now. Prince Loki _is_ your son. I do not hold the unfortunate circumstances of his birth against him. However, I do believe that the truth should not be kept from the one man it affects most. He deserves to know what he is and who he is, but if it is your wish that we marry first, I will, of course, abide by your decision." The Queen looked up at her with a glimmer of hope. "You and the King are very wise and I will be forever grateful to you for considering me suitable to wed your son. The Prince is a far better husband than I could have ever hoped for, and you have been more than kind to me all these years. I am forever in your debt."

Frigga embraced Eir warmly. "Oh, my dear girl, you have always been like a daughter to me." She pulled back and smoothed a few of Eir's stray hairs. "I can think of no one wiser, stronger of spirit, or talented to marry my son. He needs you, whether he knows it or not, and the two of you will someday decide the fate of Asgard. It is you I trust to guide him."

"I will do my best, my Queen, to serve him and your family faithfully and with honor, until the end of my days."

Loki stood in his finest armor in the Great Hall as he watched his veiled betrothed escorted into the room, curiously flanked by his parents rather than hers. Perhaps they were dead? So much the better, Loki thought to himself. Thor waited at Loki's side, his wide smile and cheerful exuberance grating on Loki's nerves.

Thor poked him in the ribs. "I saw her a few weeks ago, brother, when she came to talk to Mother and Father. She is even more beautiful than I remembered. You are a very lucky man, Loki."

"Indeed," he said quietly.

With the announcement made by an over-enthusiastic herald, Loki stepped forward and raised the veil of his intended, settling it down around her shoulders. For a moment, he was lost. Eir _was_ beautiful, with long reddish-blonde hair that cascaded down her back and felt like silk under his fingers, and intelligent, emerald green eyes that shone as she smiled up at him. She had the bearing of a future Queen but yet, she gave off the subtle clues of her submission to him. Under any other circumstances, he would have devoted all of his attention to bedding her. As it was, he neither needed nor wanted to be saddled with a wife that Father had chosen specifically to reign in his ambition.

"Welcome back to Asgard, Lady Eir," he said for all to hear, bowing to her deeply. "May you find a lifetime of happiness here at my side, as my wife." He flashed her his most charismatic smile as he took her hand and brushed the back of it with his lips, to the cheers of all assembled.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I am certain I will," she said with only a slight tremor in her voice, clearly overwhelmed by the hundreds of people gathered to witness their betrothal, but if truth be told, it was the feel of his lips against her skin that made her shake. When they were younger, she had always thought of him as handsome, but never had she dared dream of becoming his wife, or even of feeling his gentle touch so intimately.

He led her to the high table, where they were seated in the position of honor next to Odin and Frigga. For the next two hours, Loki doted on his bride-to-be, asking her about her travels, her magical studies, and regaling her with stories of the battles he and his brother fought over the years. He made her laugh with his small pranks on Thor and a few other guests, all good-natured, and even the Allfather had to smile and how the two seemed to be so taken with each other.

After several dances, Loki excused himself to find them more mead and Thor found her leaning against the wall, smiling happily. "My Lady Eir," he said, bowing low to her with a flourish that was just a little too much, but his warm smile gave away his playfulness, which made her laugh. "It warms my heart to see the two of you so happy together," he said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Your Highness. He is a fine man."

Thor's expression turned more serious. "He can be, when he wishes." His tone became more serious. "He can also lie and deceive when the mood strikes him. Do not underestimate him, my lady."

Eir considered Thor carefully, looking for subtle clues to his motives in his body language. "Why would say this to me, and why now?"

"Because I do not wish to see any harm come to you. You are a woman of honor, and your reputation for compassion and honesty precedes you."

"I am undeserving of such high praise, Your Highness."

His smile returned. "And I see that you are modest too! But please, Lady Eir, call me Thor. Soon I will call you my sister. There is no need for such formality between us now." He touched her upper arm gently, platonically.

Loki interposed himself between the two. "That's enough touching of my future wife, brother. Run along and find a wife of your own," he said, with only the barest hint of venom in his voice as he slid his arm around Eir possessively. She shivered slightly at the feel of his strong fingers around her waist, holding her against him, and she was sure Loki noticed. He raised his eyebrow at her with a suggestive smile that said he knew how much she longed for his touch. As she looked away, blushing, she noticed Thor walking off, leaving the two of them alone in the quiet corner of the Hall. "Kiss me," he said, his tone neither pleading nor commanding.

"But… we are not married yet, Your Highness," she said with only a small amount of trepidation. She stared at his lips, wondering how they would feel against hers, what kind of lover Loki would be. Silently, she hoped he was gentle, yet demanding, willing to show her how to please him in every way, as her knowledge of such things was purely academic. The fear of disappointing him in that way increased with each passing day.

"True," he said, sliding his fingertips along her cheek until they came to rest under her chin, "but I do not think I can wait any longer to taste you." When she didn't back away, he lowered his face to hers slowly, savoring her nervous but eager response, and brushed his lips against hers. Her body was so soft and pliant against his firmer one; under different circumstances he would have spirited them both away to his chambers for a long night of passion, but unfortunately, this woman would never have that privilege. Ruining her would be so easy, he thought gleefully.

One month later

Eir tried to center herself, control her breathing, and stop her hands from shaking. To her delight, the last month found her and her future husband growing closer. He made her laugh, she brought out his gentle side, and they spent hours in the practice rooms and out in the wilderness around the city impressing each other with how their talents and skills with magic had grown since childhood. His easy smile and relaxed manner around her gave her hope that he could love her when they married, knowing full well she had already given him her heart. Their kiss in the Great Hall had not been their last, as they had both been careful not to push the bounds of propriety too far, but Loki had made his eagerness for their wedding night known. He whispered to her hints of the things he would do to her, the pleasure they would bring each other, and how torturous he found their enforced waiting to be.

Frigga settled the diamond and emerald encrusted tiara upon her head with a warm smile. "We are so pleased to welcome you into our family."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The Queen took her hands. "The time for such formality between us has passed, my dear. Please call me Frigga, or if you prefer, Mother."

Tears gathered in Eir's eyes. "I would be most grateful, honored even, to call you Mother. My own died when I was so young, I barely remember her."

A handkerchief appeared in Frigga's hand, summoned effortlessly by her magic, which she handed to Eir. "You are a good and kind woman, Eir, and it is I who am honored to call you daughter, and wife of my son. Loki can be a difficult man at times, but with you at his side, I expect he will become more content."

"Do you think so?" Eir asked expectantly.

"Of course. I've never seen him so smitten with a woman before. Dare I say, I think he has never been happier. You seem quite taken with Loki as well."

Eir quietly laughed in embarrassment. "I am."

Frigga's joy was infectious. "Then let's get you to the Great Hall. It is nearly time to begin," she said, arranging the train on the emerald green dress. "You look so beautiful." She kissed Eir's forehead in blessing. "I wish you all the joy in the world."

After the brief ceremony and Odin's official blessing of their union, the newlyweds presided over the high table for the next three hours. Loki fed Eir the choicest morsels of food from his own plate, whispered his love into her ear, and led her around the dance floor at least half a dozen times.

Finally, when the last course was finished and the accumulated revelers had drunk their fill of mead and wine, Loki leaned over to his new bride and presented her with a green and black velvet-covered box. "For you, my wife. While your beauty far surpasses that of this paltry bauble, I hope you will consider it a token of my endearing affection for you."

Inside was a heavy gold necklace set with three large emeralds and studded with black diamonds. While the gems alone were worth a king's ransom, the whole item gently hummed with Loki's particular brand of magic. She stretched out with her own energy, but its enchantment was unknown to her. She looked up at Loki inquisitively.

He fastened it around her neck with an appreciative smile. "Oh, my dear, I shall show you its specific use within the hour." He kissed her deeply, then whispered into her ear. "Now run along to my chambers. I expect to see you in my bed, wearing nothing but that necklace." He kissed her neck and sent tremors up her spine in anticipation. "You are as eager as I am, I see. Good. I look forward to introducing you to so many pleasures."

Eir blushed deeply, convinced everyone in the Hall would know of the intimate words her husband teased her with. "Are we not expected to stay until the entertainment is finished?"

"We have waited quite long enough, don't you think?" He kissed along her ear, making her knees weak. "I want you, Eir, right now. I want to hear every whimper, every cry of passion that I will bring forth from your lips. I want to hear you scream my name in ecstasy, which you will, many times. And I know you don't want to disappointment me, do you, my wife?"

Eir's shocked expression quickly turned to desire. She nodded. "Good, then go to my chambers and make yourself ready, but leave the necklace on," he said, toying with the shiny metal before kissing her again on the lips possessively. "It looks stunning against your perfectly blushing skin." He trailed a finger down to her upper chest to trace the outline of the necklace, making her breath catch in her throat. "I shall make our farewells to Mother and Father, and join you as soon as I can."

Loki's lips brushed the back of her hand as he led her to the door, and she slipped out with a smile.


	2. Prologue Part 2

Prologue - Part 2

Eir hurriedly combed out her long hair, removed her chemise, and slipped between the fine, black silk sheets, fingering the necklace that Loki had given her. This was all more than she had ever hoped for in life. She had gained respected amongst many for her ability to heal, and now she was about to be bedded by a husband she loved. She felt accepted and cared for by his family, her new family, she reminded herself, and with the benefit of further research, she had every reason to expect that she would bear Loki many healthy children.

As if summoned by that thought, Loki entered his bedchamber and leaned against the doorframe, admiring his new wife with an appreciative smile. Seemingly satisfied, he walked towards her with all the elegance of a great cat stalking its prey. Eir smiled and held out her hand for him, which he ignored as he quickly shed his formal armor and tunic. He stood at the end of the bed and slowly pulled the sheet down, out of her grasp until it pooled on the floor at the foot of their bed, leaving her completely exposed to him. She would have tried to cover up if she hadn't been so fascinated with seeing him completely nude as well, his cock thick and ready, knowing she would not have to wait long to have him inside of her.

Loki crawled slowly up her body, his lips tracing a path up her leg to her abdomen, using his hand to gently but insistently open her legs. Once he was settled between them, he brushed his thumbs across her nipples until they hardened and ached, making her arch her back off of the bed in a silent plea for more, and as if in answer, he covered her left nipple with his mouth. Loki teased and sucked, slowly increasing the pressure, drawing sighs of pleasure from her lips before repeating the process on the other side. When he finally pulled away, Eir was breathless. He kissed his way down her belly to the triangle of hair at the junction of her legs, and with a look of pure lust in his eyes, he swiped his tongue through her folds before she could even think to voice a protest. He repeated the motion several more times, moaning at the taste of her wetness as he latched onto her clit, lavishing attention on it with firm circular motions that made her forget everything except the intense pressure building in her pelvis and her overwhelming love for her husband.

Just as she neared some invisible precipice, the door to the room flew open to the sound of laughter, Loki's and Thor's. "Enjoy your wedding night, my brother!" Thor's voice boomed. "May you two have a lifetime of happiness!"

"I am certain we will," Loki said happily from the doorway, "now be gone! I have a new wife who is eagerly awaiting my attention!"

Eir looked over just in time to see Thor pat his brother on the back once more before disappearing into the hallway, and Loki's eyes turn towards her. Eir froze in confusion, looking down between her legs to see a blonde-haired stranger pull back and sit back on his heels, glancing at the door expectantly.

Loki, the real Loki at the doorway, for a second let slip a devilish smile of victory as he looked into her eyes, just before he yelled out, "Guards! Guards!"

Eir looked between Loki and the stranger who she thought had been her husband only a moment before, then let out a scream and frantically pulled a blanket over her to cover her nakedness just as the palace guards and Thor, armed with Mjolnir, burst into the room ready for battle. Loki's face instantly displayed confusion and pain as he stared at the two of them. "Get my father. We have a problem." One of the guards left at a run.

"Loki?" Eir said meekly. "What is going on? He… you…?" She glanced back and forth between the man at her feet, who was quickly pulling on a tunic that looked nothing like the one he wore when he entered, and that's when she noticed that the armor he removed mere moments ago had disappeared as thoroughly as Loki's visage had from his face. It had all been an illusion, she realized quickly. She pushed forth with her magic and found…. Nothing. Whatever and whoever had cast the magic was gone, even the magic of her newly-gifted necklace was silent, spent.

"Quiet, woman!" Loki bellowed. "I think it is quite obvious what was happening here. You thought you could have one last fling with your…" he waved his hand dismissively at the stranger who was trying to secure his breeches, "lover… in my bed, nonetheless, before you were forced to accept me between your legs. You lied to me! For the last month, you lied to me at every turn!"

"No!" Eir cried, tears running down her face as she clutched the blankets to her chest with one hand and reached out towards him with the other. "No! I would never…"

"Silence!" Loki screamed at her. "You cannot possibly deny what I see before me with mine own eyes! What we have all seen! You whore!" Loki drew his dagger and turned his anger towards the man who had now backed himself into a corner, staring at the floor in the hopes of avoiding Loki's gaze. "And you! How dare you lay a hand on the woman I loved!"

"Brother, wait!" Thor said, pulling Loki back by wrapping his arms around his brother's chest. "Father will be here soon, and justice will be served. Do not harm either of them prematurely." Loki struggled in his grasp. "Loki…" he warned with a mixture of brotherly concern and pity, but his eyes held only contempt as he regarded Eir, still huddled behind the blanket, sobbing. "Wait outside for Father. I will handle this." A tear ran down Loki's cheek as he took one last look at Eir and angrily stormed out of the room.

Thor turned his attention to the two remaining inhabitants of the room. By this time, additional palace guards had arrived and awaited Thor's command. "Guards, take that man into custody, and hold him in chains outside of the Throne Room. The Allfather will wish to speak with him before passing sentence.

Once the stranger was gone, Thor ordered the others to wait outside. He found Eir's dressing gown folded over a nearby chair and he threw it towards her roughly. "I will turn my back, and you will cover yourself." The disappointment in his voice was blatant. Eir complied, tying the robe tightly around her as she tried to decipher what had happened.

As much as she hated the conclusion she had already come to, it was the only explanation. Loki knew her strengths and weaknesses with magic, and they were the opposite of his own abilities. Where he was strong in illusion, she was relatively weak, though not incompetent. The necklace's enchantment, the one that was now completely absent, could easily have been designed to impair her ability to see through an illusion, and conveniently, there was now no proof. She desperately wanted to think that all of this was some deliberate attack on the royal family by someone else, but it was Loki's self-satisfied smile before he called the guards that told her he was the one responsible. He was the liar. He had lied to her all along, never once voicing any misgivings about their arranged marriage or the short time they had to get to know each other. It really had all been too good to be true.

She had fallen into his scheme without a second thought, playing her part perfectly. The only problem was that she had not been acting. She was in love with the dark-haired prince who despised her. His family would never believe her, and she had none of her own to intercede on her behalf. She had not even seen her cousins since infancy; no, they would not stand with her. Eir wept quietly on the edge of the bed.

Thor sat down next to her and sighed, but she couldn't bring herself to look up at him. "My lady, did that man force you? By strength or threat of harm?"

"No, my lord." There was little else to say. She had sworn to serve Odin's family, protect their honor, and even if someone did believe her, it would shame Loki. Eir was no one. She could fade away into the background, dedicate herself to healing under anonymity, and everyone would easily forget her. To accuse a prince of such blatant disregard for the law, his honor, and his family? She could not allow such a thing to happen. In spite of everything, his deception did not nullify her duty. She would not dishonor him, either publically or in front of his family. That was her responsibility as his wife, whether or not the marriage had been consummated.

"If my brother had any hand in this…" Thor paused, hoping Eir would prove or disprove the doubts that preyed on his mind.

"What is going on here?" Odin bellowed from the doorway, flanked by Frigga and Loki. "Thor? Explain."

Loki pushed his way to the front. "I think it should be quite obvious what happened, Thor and the guards all witnessed my _wife_," the word was filled with venom, "naked in the arms of another man."

Odin turned to his son with annoyance. "Is your name Thor? Be still until I ask you to speak."

"Yes, Father." Loki looked at the floor, stealing occasional glances of warning at Eir.

Thor moved to stand in front of the Allfather. "It is as Loki said, Father. I had the man arrested and held for further questioning."

"No," Frigga said, pushing past the two much larger men, then knelt on the floor in front of Eir. "There is more to this. Tell me, child, please." Frigga gently tilted Eir's chin up.

"I will not dispute their accounting of the event," she said quietly. "And I throw myself upon your mercy, and that of your family, for every way that I have wronged you."

Frigga considered her words silently for a moment then ordered everyone out of the room.

Odin protested. "I am the King, and you cannot simply dismiss me when a serious crime such as this is…" Frigga shot her husband a look that was all business. "Then again, perhaps we can give the women a chance to talk and get to the bottom of this more quickly. I shall question the young man in the interim. Come along." The room emptied quickly.

"Tell me what happened, Eir," Frigga said kindly. "If you had any reservations about this marriage, or if you were in love with another…"

"No! I love Loki. No one else."

"Then why…"

"All I ask is that there be no trial, no delay. I admit to all wrongdoing. Kill me, imprison me, banish me, just please do so tonight. I do not wish to linger here, as I would spare your family the embarrassment. Let no dishonor come to the prince from my actions."

"He is somehow responsible for all of this, isn't he?" Eir's face showed a moment's fear as she looked at Frigga for the first time since her arrival.

A loud knock at the door interrupted them. "Enter," Frigga said impatiently. The door slid open, but Eir did not turn around. "Heimdall? What is it? What has happened?"

"I have information about this matter that you may find helpful, My Queen." He bowed low and waited.

"No!" Eir spun around to face Heimdall, then hurried to his feet and knelt before him, abasing herself. "There is no need. I have admitted to my crime against Prince Loki and his family. The dishonor must fall only upon my shoulders." She looked up at him, pleadingly. "Please, my lord." He considered her carefully but remained silent. "I am shamed enough by these actions. Please do not recount the details of my folly, for I do not wish to hurt the prince or his family any further when it will not alter the outcome." Heimdall glanced at Frigga, then back down at Eir. "Please, My Lord Heimdall. I ask you to keep your knowledge, as I have already submitted to whatever punishment the Allfather sees fit to lay upon me. I am already ruined. Loki should not share in this burden." She desperately hoped he could read between the lines.

He bent down to her ear, so only she could hear him. "Why, child, when you bear no fault in this?"

"Because there is nothing left for me here. They will never unsee what they have seen. Allow me to leave Loki with his family's opinion of him intact. Let them, and Asgard, believe that he could love and be kind. Do not let the whole of Asgard or any other realm believe that the House of Odin is anything less than noble, honorable, and true. I beg of you."

He considered this for a moment, before whispering his reply. "I understand. If ever you change your mind and wish the truth to be known, I will be honored to stand at your side."

"Thank you," she said quietly, letting the enormity of her situation engulf her.

"Heimdall?" Frigga asked from across the room. "Tell me."

"The lady has already admitted fault. There is no more to be said." He turned and left before Frigga could respond.

"Your Highness, may I be escorted back to my chambers to dress before facing the Allfather's judgment? I swear to you that I will not attempt to flee."

"I want you to know that you can tell me anything, Eir. Please," Frigga implored.

"There is no more to be said." Eir stepped into the hallway and with Frigga's approval, she was escorted back to her chambers.

Eir nearly stumbled into Heimdall as he exited the throne room. He nodded solemnly to her, taking in her very modest and unadorned charcoal grey dress before he proceeded on his way without further comment.

Frigga accompanied Eir into Odin's presence, and they exchanged a look that Eir could not interpret. Thor stood by his brother, not bothering to look upon Eir as she entered, and Loki's face was stern and unyielding when he only looked past her, his meaning clear.

"Frigga and Lady Eir, stay. Everyone else, you are dismissed," Odin said, his voice filling the chamber with an air of command. She could feel the faintest tendrils of his power carrying it. Thor took several steps down the stairs, but Loki caught himself before his foot even left the stone floor. He radiated power and magic, nearly suffocating her deliberately offered no defense. "Loki, is there a reason that you openly challenge me?"

"I will stay and hear my treacherous wife's words. I deserve an explanation from this…whore." Eir flinched at his words, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of breaking under it.

"You are dismissed." Odin said, the power flowing off him would be enough to bring anyone else to their knees. Eir could feel it break against Loki's shield, and she knew his submission to his Father's will was all for show.

When he reached the bottom of the steps, barely two paces from where she knelt, and considered her for a moment. Eir focused her attention straight ahead, consciously stilling her body. "On second thought, be lenient with her, Father. I should have seen her betrayal sooner and stopped the wedding, but I was blinded by love." He walked past and she heard the door thud closed in finality behind him, but the silence in the room continued for what seemed like an eternity. Remaining silent under the Allfather's scrutiny proved exceptionally difficult.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions, Your Highness. I throw myself upon your mercy and…"

"What was the man's name, the one you were found with?" She looked up at him then, his face hard and unyielding. When she didn't respond, he said more loudly, "I asked you a question, girl. What was his name?"

"I… I do not know, Your Highness."

"Interesting. He said you two carried on an affair since shortly after your arrival here, nearly one month ago. I find it curious that he never mentioned his name. You are highly intelligent, or so I was led to believe, so I find it unlikely that you simply forgot such a detail."

"Perhaps I forgot to ask," she offered, her eyes downcast.

"Perhaps," he half-heartedly allowed. "What is his profession?"

"I must have forgotten to ask that as well, Your Highness."

"Then tell me how you met him, how this dalliance of yours began."

"I do not remember, My King." She fidgeted under his gaze.

"Up until the moment that Loki entered your room, were you acting under the belief that he was already present in that room, that it was Loki you were… intimate with?"

Eir hesitated. He knew the truth already; that much was certain. "Please, Your Highness, I accept full responsibility for my wrongdoing. You are well within your rights to execute me now for my treachery."

"I am quite familiar with my rights in this. It is yours that I am concerned with."

"I beg of you, do not let this linger on and bring dishonor upon your house. I waive my right to a trial, and implore you to pass judgment upon me immediately."

"I am not going to kill you, child." Eir looked up at him with a look that could only be described as disappointment mixed with fear. "Not only are you an exceptionally talented healer, you are loyal to a fault, and I will not enact retribution against one whose guilt I question. Now answer me. Did you believe that the man you were in bed with was your husband?"

"Please…"

Before she could register his movement, Odin was standing before her, forcing her to stand by pulling roughly up on her arms. "As your King, I command you to answer my question." His raised voice remained controlled, but the power pouring off of him nearly consumed her. She chose not to even attempt to resist it; any such defiance would be incredibly disrespectful. "Was that man wearing Loki's face when you permitted him to touch you?"

"Yes." She said quietly, so only he and Frigga could hear. "Please don't tell anyone. Just kill me and let it all be over."

"Why would you desire death when you are innocent of any wrongdoing?" Odin let her go and stepped away.

Eir squared her shoulders and focused on her breathing. "Because no good comes out of implicating Prince Loki. You will know the truth, and you can watch him more closely in the future, but no one else needs to know. It would undermine the confidence of the people of Asgard and all of the Nine Realms to think so poorly of an heir to your throne, My King. Let them think that Loki is playful rather than cruel. Let them believe that your family is beyond reproach. I will be the only one who suffers for this if the blame is laid fully upon me. Millions of lives may be threatened if your leadership or eventually, Thor's, is called into question. Loki's guilt would reflect poorly upon you. My guilt reflects poorly upon no one but myself."

The pressure of Odin's magic retreated as quickly as it had come, but the weight of her words remained upon them all. "Frigga?" He asked, not turning to look at her.

"She is correct in her analysis, but it is not right to punish her for this."

Eir interjected before Odin could reply. "If you do not act swiftly and decisively against me, your leadership and the circumstances of this event will be suspect. You cannot appear weak in order to spare me the dishonor."

"I will not execute you," Odin said quickly, rubbing his fingers across his forehead.

"Then banish me from Asgard forever, somewhere no one will ever look." She considered it for a moment. "Midgard."

"Vanaheim would be more suited to your heritage and your skills," Odin said, still clearly not happy about this. "You have distant relatives there, if I am not mistaken."

"No. That would not be interpreted as a punishment. Midgard is primitive and dangerous, but perhaps I could do some good there. They have great need of healers. With your permission, I will live out my life there, unnoticed and forgotten by all of Asgard. You shall never hear of me again."

Frigga came down and hugged Eir tightly. "We can work something out, Eir, so you can stay. You do not need to be exiled to that backwater. The humans there are vicious and crude."

"Please, My Queen. The guards already know what they saw, and Loki has no doubt told others to solidify his position. There is no way to keep this secret. And how could I stay? How could I face him, or anyone else here, after all that has happened? I admit my cowardice, but please permit me to leave, I beg of you. You have my guarantee of silence. Everyone will soon forget once I am gone."

Odin nodded, but Frigga gripped his arm tightly. "No, Odin, this is not right."

"This is bigger than our family. The Lady Eir is correct on that point," Odin said firmly. He looked at Eir with fatherly compassion. "I wish it had never come to this, but we owe you a great debt for your sacrifice. You may return at any time. While I cannot grant it to you without the initiation of your banishment, I offer you a full pardon at any point in the future. All you need to do is ask. I will see to it that you have sufficient gold and whatever else you require to live very comfortably; I will arrange for an allowance for you to be delivered yearly so you will want for nothing. I am not without acquaintances among the noble and royal houses there. I could see to it that you are given a place of honor there befitting your…"

"It is better if I go with nothing. I will find my own way and trouble you no further."

Odin considered her for a moment, impressed with her will. "When do you wish to leave?"

"Right away, if you have no objection."

Thor entered shortly afterwards, as summoned, though Eir could hear Loki's protests just outside the doors, which were shut firmly in his face. Other than the three royals, their scribe was the only other present when Odin began his pronouncement. "I, Odin Allfather, do hereby sentence you to banishment from Asgard for adultery against Prince Loki, your lawful husband. You will be escorted by the palace guards to Midgard to serve your exile, never again to return to the Realm Eternal. You are hereby stripped of your titles and goods, and I nullify your unconsummated marriage to my son. Go now from our sight."

Eir nodded, expecting guards to arrive at any moment and drag her away, but it was Frigga and Thor who escorted her through a secret door in the back of the throne room. Eir's own tears had all been expended. There was no point in fighting the inevitable, or feeling sorry for herself for doing what was right. The Queen cried silently, however, all the way to Eir's chambers.

"Wait outside," she commanded Thor.

She pressed a small leather pouch into Eir's hand once they were safely inside, and a quick examination of its contents revealed a large quantity of cut gemstones and gold. "I cannot take this, Your Highness."

"You can, and you will," Frigga said firmly, "I am your Queen and I command it." She then embraced Eir tightly. "It will ease your journey, and it will remain hidden from the sight of the mortals so it cannot be stolen from you."

"It is not fitting that my journey be eased, Your Highness," Eir said, overwhelmed with the Queen's kindness, but nonetheless, she pressed the bag back into the older woman's hand.

"I feel responsible for all of this, Eir. I pushed Odin to find a wife for Loki because I knew he was slipping, giving in to envy of his brother, and becoming ever more desperate for Odin's approval… I was afraid for him, you must understand, but I should never have placed you in such a position, hoping that you could save him when I could not." Frigga covered her face.

Eir felt presumptuous in touching the Queen, especially after her sentence, but she rested her hand on Frigga's shoulder. "Your Highness, do not blame yourself. Loki is a man, responsible for his own actions, and I remain grateful that you considered me worthy of him. I regret only that I failed you… and him… so completely."

"No, no, Eir. It was I who have failed you. And now your life, your future, has been stolen from you."

Eir refused to leave it this way. "No, not stolen. Clearly the Fates have chosen a different path for me, and this, merely a stepping stone to it. Asgard has many fine healers, but the people of Midgard have few of note. I have an opportunity to ease their suffering and ease their passing, perhaps even to train generations of their healers to do the same. No one there will know of what happened tonight; I can be judged anew. It is not the end of me, My Queen, but a different beginning. I embrace it."

"I admire your strength, Eir. Loki was truly unworthy of you. But I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will call upon me if you have need. Heimdall will always answer you, and you know you are welcome to return to Asgard with a full pardon whenever you are ready. Or if you wish, I will come to you on Midgard and help you any way I can. You have only to ask, child."

Eir knew she would never do so. It was best if she faded from all memory, but she knew Frigga felt a desire to fulfill her sense of obligation. "May I be allowed to take my healing herbs and potions with me? The Midgardians may seem uncivilized, but they are not less deserving of my help than any other inhabitants of the Nine Realms. It is for them that I ask, not for myself."

"Of course, of course," Frigga said, but at the last moment, she took Eir's intricate leather case from her and laid it upon the bed. The Queen passed her hands above it, and a thick golden light passed from her hands into the leather, seeping into each crevice and compartment. Eir stood silently out of respect and waited for her to finish. Handing her the case with a satisfied smile, she said, "your supplies with automatically replenish, so you may do what you can for the people there."

"Thank…"

"No, do not thank me. I should do more. I should have done more." She patted the bed next to her, so Eir joined her there. "Do you remember when you were young, how I taught you to weave new spells? I have one last spell to teach you before you go. While Odin and I will do our best to reign in Loki, I fear you will need protection from him. I will teach you how to hide from him, and Heimdall, even Odin himself."

Several minutes later, a firm knock on the door interrupted their contemplative silence. It was Thor. "Loki is on his way here. I suggest we leave before he arrives."

Thor flew her to the Bifrost to ensure her departure went unseen by his brother, but Frigga stayed behind in Eir's chambers. There was no more to be said between them.

Thor was silent until the last moment. "We all thought so highly of you. How could you do this? To my brother? To our family?"

"When you become king, you will understand," she said quietly, and walked into the portal without looking back.


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Is it hammertime already? How come no one told me?" Tony stood up from his desk and met the God of Thunder halfway across his penthouse office with his signature quirky smile. "How's Asgard? Your brother didn't escape by any chance, did he? I mean, that's not why you're here, right? Because I'm supposed to take Pepper to this thing with her family tonight and I could really use a planet-wide emergency..."

Thor couldn't help but return the smile. He'd never understand the mortal, but he found he liked him nonetheless. Tony's carefree spirit and love of life reminded Thor of his younger days, before the mantle of responsibility and obligation settled so heavily upon his shoulders. "It is good to see you, my friend. Do not worry, Midgard is safe. I have come on a more personal errand."

"You know I don't think of you that way, big guy." Tony handed Thor a glass of scotch, which Thor sniffed suspiciously before drinking, pointedly ignoring the innuendo. He approved.

"I am looking for someone, a woman. I request your assistance in finding her."

Tony motioned for him to sit, making a mental note to order a sturdier sofa. The one Thor occupied might not make it through the night. "Last I heard, unofficially of course, because I would never hack into SHIELD's mainframe, Jane was in London. Want me to get you her address? You can borrow my jet. Or are you going to fly there on your own?" Tony motioned to Mjolnir, which Thor had set on the floor between them. His eyes took in the leather sack next to it.

"Thank you, but it is not Jane that I seek this time."

"You know, the women on this planet don't like it when you see other women on the side, still not sure why, but I'm just saying..." Tony pondered the thought momentarily before pulling up his virtual computer screen.

"Her name is Eir. She was one of our greatest healers, welcomed in all of the known worlds, even by the Jotuns. I have reason to believe that she has been here, on Midgard, for the last eight hundred years. I am to return her to Asgard, for her skills are needed there."

Tony quickly scanned through pages of information about Eir, apparently the Norse goddess of healing, but they were all based on documents from the dark ages, hardly reliable sources of GPS coordinates. "Yeah, I'm going to need a little more than that to go on. Do you have a description, maybe a location, or what she has been doing with herself for the last eight hundred years? She probably changed her name."

Thor looked down at his hands. "She is tall compared to human women, perhaps only a few inches shorter than myself with reddish blonde hair, fair complexion. She was very beautiful. It is possible she has changed her appearance, however, but my mother believes that she is still a healer, perhaps one of your... doctors."

"That's not much to go on. Don't you have somebody up there who's supposed to be able to see everyone? Your gatekeeper. What's his name, Jarvis?

"Heimdall, Sir," Jarvis replied.

"Yeah, him. And when you say he can see everything and everyone, and any time... does that mean…. You know what? Never mind. Is it his day off or something?"

"She has cloaked herself from his view since she left Asgard, which is no easy feat, I might add. Long ago, her mastery of magic rivaled that of my brother. I can only imagine that in the last eight hundred years her power has increased."

"Planetary-emergency type power?" Tony looked hopeful. "I have a new prototype suit that is just begging for a field test."

"No, no, my friend. I have known her since we were children. We studied together, played together. She has a gentle soul. Eir never sought to rule nor destroy, it was not in her nature. My mother, who is very wise about such matters, assures me that she has led a quiet life here as a healer. Heimdall may not be able to see Eir, but he has seen many that he believes have been recipients of her talents. She is no threat to you."

"So if she's Mother Teresa, and you've lived without her for centuries, why do you want her back now? She can't be the only Asgardian with some mojo."

Thor tilted his head quizzically, not understanding the reference, but ultimately he chose to ignore it. "We require her skills to repair the Bifrost. I have sworn to protect Earth, but without the Bifrost, I will not be able to return here or to any of the other realms that rely on Asgard for their defense."

Tony's gaze settled on the bag at Thor's feet again. "What's in the bag, He Man?"

"The tesseract," Thor admitted.

"Is your brother's insanity a family trait by any chance?" Tony wondered out loud.

Thor sighed. "It was the only way, but this will be the last time it is allowed outside of Asgard." Thor kept his eyes on the bag as well.

Tony closed the computer display. "Now you are going to stop bullshitting me, big guy. You had to use the tesseract to get back home after the incident in New York well over a year ago. You think I'm going to believe that you just suddenly discovered that some woman you exiled here eight centuries ago is the only one who can help you with a construction problem?"

"I never said she was exiled," Thor said, searching Tony's face for an explanation. "Oh, I see. You know where she is."

"I do, actually. She approached Pepper after you showed up in New Mexico the first time. She volunteered her abilities specifically to help you or the other gods that took a little vacation here in case any of you were ever hurt, but then later she extended the offer to anyone else of unusual abilities or background, Asgardian or otherwise. She also sees humans regularly at the hospital. It's amazing she has time to sleep. You do sleep, don't you?" Tony didn't wait for an answer, he was on a roll. "I helped her negotiate the arrangement with Coulson and Fury, by the way. Did you know she was the one who saved Barton's mind after your brother and his glow stick of insanity played hopscotch with his marbles? And that she saved Pepper when she… never mind. The only thing she ever asked in return was permission to stay on Earth and continue her work unhindered. So no, you can't have her."

"Father is offering her a full pardon in return for her help. It is a very generous offer considering her crime."

"What exactly did she do to fall out of your good graces?" Tony crossed his legs and rested his head back against his laced fingers.

Thor looked uncomfortable, a fact which didn't escape Tony's notice. "It was an issue of dishonor towards my family, nothing more."

"She dishonored your family and you exiled her for eight centuries? Remind me never to get a parking ticket in Asgard."

"There were extenuating circumstances, or so I'm told. I believe that there is more to it than I have been made aware."

Tony sighed and sipped his scotch, watching Thor intently. The god wasn't lying. That was something. "Okay, here's how this is going to work. Jarvis, please ask Dr. Eklund to come to the penthouse."

"Right away, Sir," Jarvis replied.

Tony turned his attention back to Thor. "Now, this is the deal. If she wants to go back with you, fine. But if she doesn't, I want your word that you will not force her to go. She will also be allowed to return here whenever she wants, without interference from you, Odin, or anyone else. Capice?"

"I accept your terms," Thor said solemnly.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dr. Erin Eklund patted Hawkeye on the shoulder with a practiced professional reassurance. "Everything looks fine, Clint. Your labs are normal, your physical performance measures are back to your impressive baseline, and I can find no trace of the magic that affected your mind. I assure you that my counterspell was quite thorough."

"Thanks, Doc. I suppose I will always be worried that Loki will find a way to sneak in there again," he said, pointing to his temple. Erin flinched slightly at the mention of Loki's name. If he'd been a lesser man, with lesser training, Clint would have missed it.

"You knew him," he stated simply.

Erin paused to control her reaction. The centuries away from Asgard made her too lax when it came to hiding her emotions, she realized, especially around the members of SHIELD who were skilled in such recognition. She would have to remedy the situation immediately. "With your permission, I could place a more permanent protective magic around your mind, but it requires a temporary mental contact that most humans find uncomfortably intimate, though ultimately not harmful." Her manner was clinical yet compassionate, which made him smile, as messing with that detachment was an irresistible temptation. He remembered how it felt when she had banished that crazy bastard from his head, the peace she offered him, the stilling of his pain, and not just from what Loki had done. Maybe it was a side effect of the treatment, but she made the very short list of people he trusted.

"As a gentleman, aren't I supposed to buy you dinner before the uncomfortable intimacy? Or maybe you should buy me dinner before having your supernatural way with me. Say, eight o'clock? I know a great little Italian place on…"

"Pardon me, Dr. Eklund." Jarvis' overly-polite voice interrupted them via the intercom.

"Yes, Jarvis?"

"Mr. Stark requests your presence in the penthouse immediately."

"Please provide the nature of the medical emergency so I may bring appropriate supplies," she turned away from Barton, thankful for the distraction. Yes, he was attractive physically, even by Asgardian standards. He had the mentality of a warrior and consistent, decisive victories in the field of battle, but even if she were not his physician, she would not avail herself of his invitation. She refused to allow herself any sort of romantic or sexual relationship since leaving Asgard. That part of her life was over forever.

"There is no medical emergency, Doctor. I believe this is more of a social occasion. May I give Mr. Stark an estimated time of your arrival?"

"Please tell him I am leaving now," she said, excusing herself from the exam room with a smile and a quick nod to Hawkeye.

"Very well, madam," said Jarvis.

Clint followed her into the hall. "Want me to go with you? No? Okay, I'll give you a rain check!" he called to her as she walked away. Erin couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, as misguided as it was.

Once she was down the hall and out of earshot, one of the nurses said, "Save it, Mr. Barton. Don't get me wrong, she is an amazing doctor, but there's a reason we call her The Nun."

During the quick elevator ride to the top of Stark Tower, Erin straightened her lab coat and tucked a few stray hairs back into her elaborate bun, but she wished Jarvis had prepared her for what awaited her when the doors opened.

"Thanks for coming, Doctor," Tony said with a smile, turning on his signature ladies-man charm. "I believe you know Thor?"

Cursing herself silently for allowing the surprise to show on her face, she quickly recovered and inclined her head briefly, feeling no compulsion to kneel to the heir to the throne as she once would have. The air in the room felt heavy and oppressive, threatening. How could it be anything less with the God of Thunder dominating the room? "Your Highness," she said, looking him in the eyes but not bothering to try to decipher his expression. He had earned her respect for his defense of Earth and for his status as visiting royalty, but he was no longer her future king. She would not kneel.

"It is good to see you, Eir," he said warmly, taking her slender hand is his, though she pulled it back from him when he meant to place a kiss upon it. Obviously, he wanted something from her that she would be unwilling to give.

"I have not used that name since I left Asgard. I am now Dr. Erin Eklund."

"As you wish." With a mild gesture towards the couch, he invited her to sit next to him. She glanced inquiringly at Tony, who just shrugged his shoulders as he sat down opposite Thor.

"Your Highness, you appear to be in good health." She took a deep breath as her eyes rested on Mjolnir. "So I assume this meeting is not for professional reasons? May I reassure you that I have upheld the terms of my agreement with your father, so let us dispense with the formalities. Are you here to ensure my permanent silence?" she said just as impassively as if she were inquiring about tomorrow's weather.

"Whoa, nobody is killing anybody," Tony said emphatically. "Seriously, I just had the carpets cleaned."

"What?" Thor asked, disbelieving what he heard as he took offense to Eir's question. "Think you so little of me that I would kill an unarmed woman while I am a guest in the home of a friend?"

"I am not unarmed," she said, a whisper of indignation crept into her voice. Her hands glowed purple where they rested on her knees, but neither her posture nor her further inaction could be seen as hostile, merely demonstrable. She held his gaze for a moment before letting the magic dissipate.

"No, of course not, I apologize, My Lady," said Thor, trying to soften his tone.

"I am no longer a lady of your realm, nor of Midgard, so you need not refer to me as such. As you recall, I was stripped of my titles, rank, and position," Erin stated simply.

Tony took the opportunity to step away from the pair and slip the metal bracelets from the bar onto his wrists. He was going to have to intervene if this came to blows, which he desperately hoped it did not. He was fond of Dr. Eklund, having found her both useful and kind, but he had never seen her like this. Carefully constrained tension radiated from them both. "Okay, new rule: no fighting," Tony interjected. "Pepper just finished the redecorating, and she won't have sex with me for a week if you two damage anything."

Thor took a deep breath in and out and tried to think how his mother would handle the situation. Eir was not the timid maiden that had married his brother so many years ago. "My father is prepared to offer you a full pardon if you return with me."

"I declined the Allfather's open-ended offer of a pardon eight centuries ago when he granted my request for exile here. Nothing has changed in that regard. Why come to me now?"

"Father offered you a pardon _before_ you were sent here?" Thor stood. "Why? And why did you not take it? Surely it was an exceedingly generous offer given your transgression."

Erin stood and took two determined steps in Tony's direction, projecting her physician-like professionalism like an invisible barrier between them. "I apologize for this inconvenience, Mr. Stark. It is inappropriate of me to bring the burden of my past errors into your home. I have trespassed upon your generosity for too long, it would seem, so I will gather my things and leave within the hour. I will contact SHIELD when I am settled elsewhere so that I may be available to aid to you and the others should you have need of me."

"Not necessary, Doctor," Tony reassured her, waving off her concerns as he stood and glared briefly at Thor. "There is no need for all of that. You will always be welcome here, and I think Thor was just leaving, right big guy? You want that address in London?" Tony moved towards the door, ready to usher the God of Thunder out but Thor made no move to leave.

The pressure all around her increased, sounding like a constant howl of wind in her mind. Erin paused, opening herself to the dull, heavy pulsing of magic that had permeated the air since her arrival. It wasn't Mjolnir as she had first thought. This was a magic she recognized from Barton's mind, and it recognized her. It wanted her. It simultaneously whispered, beckoned, demanded, promised. She locked her magical shields down, forcing the voice to retreat while she took several steps away from where it lay. "Why did you bring that _thing_ here?" She pointed at the leather bag on the floor, her tone demanding and tinged with power. "You know how dangerous it is and what it did to Lo… to New York."

Thor gave up all pretense. He was never good at courtly manners or convincing anyone to do his bidding with pretty words. "He's dying, Eir. Our healers can do nothing. Please. I know I have no right to ask this of you, or to expect you to come, but I would consider it a personal favor if you would help him. Once Father falls into the Odinsleep, which he will soon, I can return your title…"

Tony stopped wondering if he'd adequately recalibrated the fuel injector on the prototype's right foot thruster. "Who's dying? Inquiring minds want to know."

"Loki," Thor said cautiously, not taking his eyes from the doctor.

Tony was nearly gleeful. "Party at my place?" Then he noticed Dr. Eklund. Her eyes were closed but the momentary grief he saw there before she regained her composure made him realize that he'd have to revise the guest list. He poured himself another drink from the bar.

"He would never accept my help, much less my presence in the same room. He made his opinion of me well known before my exile." She thought she had made her peace with this truth long ago, but it seemed now that she may have been mistaken.

"He has been drifting in and out unconscious for three days, and when he is awake, he can do no more than cry out in pain and speak nonsense. Our healers say he may die within hours, yet they do not know the cause of his infirmity." Thor rested his hand upon her shoulder lightly. When had she allowed him to get so close to her? "Do you not think that you owe him at least an attempt to save his life?"

Erin looked up at the man she nearly called brother once. "I owe him? Is that what you think?" She searched Thor's face and saw his sincerity, and his pain. "Oh, I see now. The Allfather never told you." She sighed heavily, feeling the vibrations of the tesseract increasing with her own anxiety. "He is a man of his word, then."

"Told me what? What happened between you and my brother?"

Squaring her shoulders, she decided that she did not want to have this discussion with Thor, now, or ever. "If I do this, my presence must be concealed, especially from Loki. No one other than the Queen, the Allfather, you, and Heimdall, as we will undoubtedly not go unnoticed by him, can know I am there, or what I do. I want oaths of secrecy. My banishment will be lifted only in this very limited capacity, and only for this singular purpose. As I have heard that he now resides in a prison cell, you will imprison me with him for the duration, then I will resume my exile here as soon as the outcome is assured, whatever that may be. I offer you no guarantee of success."

"I expect none. I know he has done many terrible things, but I still harbor hope that he can be redeemed. I think the tesseract controlled him more than he controlled it."

Erin glanced back at the leather bag on the floor, feeling its magic as it seeped through the pores, searching for her. For anyone it could use. "That is undoubtedly true. But why did you bring it here?"

"The Bifrost has been severed," Thor said, not ready to admit he part in its destruction in front of Tony. "Asgard needs my brother, and you, to repair the bridge. I have sworn to protect Midgard and the Nine Realms, but without the Bifrost, we are stranded. You know the magic required to repair it, as does my brother, but you must do it together."

"Even if he does survive, he will never consent to forge the link that would be required for such a task."

"Mother and I will deal with that once he is well. We need him. Midgard needs him, as odd as that may be. Will you come?"

"Agree to my terms, upon your honor, in the presence of Mr. Stark as our witness."

"I agree."

"Then I will come, but we will not draw upon the tesseract."

"It is the only way to get home," Thor said cautiously.

"I have been able to walk between the Realms for half a millennium." Thor stared openly at her. She could have returned to Asgard at any time, with or without Heimdall's help, with a full pardon, and she chose to remain here?

"The ability to travel without the Bifrost or some other power source is unprecedented," he said slowly. He had doubted his mother when she said Eir and Loki were the only ones who could reforge the Bifrost, thinking it was just a way of getting Eir to Asgard for Loki. Now he suspected her assessment was completely accurate.

The astonishment on his face must have been obvious because Erin cleared her throat pointedly. "Allow me to quickly gather my things and I will take you home," she said.

As they left, Tony called out to them. "Be careful where you park, Doctor."


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"My dear girl, welcome home," the Allfather said, a small smile softening his features. He was weak, that much was obvious to Eir, but it was age rather than infirmity that weighed him down. His magic could only be replenished by the Odinsleep, she knew, but that's when she saw the thin tendril of magic flowing from Frigga to the king. It was her energy that sustained him; he had put off the Sleep for far too long.

Eir inclined her head towards Odin and his Queen. "Your Highnesses." She would not kneel. This was no longer her home.

The words had barely left her mouth when Frigga closed the distance and embraced her. She had forgotten what it was like to have that kind of physical contact, it had been so long. Eir returned the gesture hesitantly, not wanting to overstep her bounds or give the queen any false hope.

"I have missed you, child," Frigga said warmly, pulling back to look at her. "I am so glad you are home now, and that you have agreed to help my son in spite of everything he did to you. I've prepared your old rooms," she said with a smile that Eir could not return.

Thor cleared his voice. "Mother, Father, there are some… conditions that we should discuss."

As Thor explained, Eir stepped a few paces back and gave them room to speak without her interference. Heimdall hovered in the doorway at the far end of the Great Hall. He nodded to her solemnly and she did the same in return. The look in his eyes for her hadn't altered in eight centuries; it was still a mixture of pity and respect. Eir refocused her attention on the floor; it did her no good to have regrets or to feel too much at home here. She set her heavy bag down carefully on the floor, fingering the well-worn leather of the strap as she waited, grateful to Frigga for its invaluable enchantment. It had been her only constant companion in her years of travel. She rarely stayed in one place very long and this would be no exception, she reminded herself.

Once the royal family finished their discussion, Eir wove the illusion she would use for the duration of her stay, making her appear shorter, slighter, and with pointed ears. Her hair morphed to a light blonde that was secured in an elaborate braid. She knew the magic would not fool Loki for long, as his skills with this type of spell had always been superior to her own, but while he was ill, it should be enough. To be certain, however, she covered her head and neck with the opaque white veil favored by the elven healers of Alfheim, securing it in place with its simple spell.

"Please go to him," Frigga said from behind her. "There isn't much time. Thor, carry her possessions."

"Yes, Mother," Thor said, lifting the bag like it weighed nothing. She had refused to allow him to help her with it on Midgard when he had offered repeatedly. Frigga stayed behind to see to Eir's new arrangements while Odin excused himself, and she and Thor were left alone on the walk to Loki's cell.

"If you have additional information on his condition, Your Highness, I would appreciate knowing all the details."

"He fell ill six days ago with stomach pain, then wrenching pains in all of his muscles, then the confusion and the screaming. At first, we thought it was a trick to escape his confinement, but our healers confirmed his symptoms were real, but in truth, I know little of such things. The healers will tell you more."

"Thor," Eir said, stopping in middle of the stairwell. "I need to know who else knows about his… unique biology."

He considered her words for a moment. "You mean, who knows that he is a frost giant?"

"Yes, that is what I am asking."

"Of course, Mother and Father know, as well as the two healers who have attended him. No one else. I am surprised that you do." He nearly asked her how she knew, but thought better of it. They continued the rest of the way in silence.

When they reached the prison's healing room, two of the healers Eir had once trained now greeted her with suspicion, no doubt considering her an unwanted outsider, an elf no one had ever heard of who could not possibly do more than they. It was only Frigga's demand that she be told everything that loosened their tongues.

Meran, the older of the two, and clearly the senior healer, spoke tersely. "Six days ago, in the early morning hours, I was summoned to examine the prince, who complained of abdominal pain. The soul forge showed us the neurologic dysfunction of the smooth muscle layers of his intestines, but within hours the vomiting began. None of our treatments resulted in improvement, and now he travels in an out of consciousness. When he awakens, he is confused and cries out in pain, with uncontrolled and disordered spasms of various muscle groups. The periods of unconsciousness are increasing in duration, and we believe he has developed a toxic encephalopathy, though the toxin does not match any in our records. Our attempts at controlling his pain have had only limited effect."

Eir brushed past the woman and examined the diagnostic displays and treatment records, all the while she felt Meran's gaze upon her disapprovingly. Eir had designed this soul forge; navigating through its functions was a simple task and Loki did not have the luxury of time for her to play dumb.

"Leave us," Eir said, dismissing the two women in a voice of higher pitch than her own but not without its own air of command. Finally, she dared to look at the man who lay unmoving upon the bed. His face was drawn and pale and he was thinner than he had been when she saw him last. Every few moments, he would twitch or moan slightly in his uneasy slumber, clearly in pain. Eir steadied herself, taking several deep breaths before she approached him. She convinced herself that she was over him so many years ago, in spite of how he haunted her dreams, but now she knew that it had been a lie.

Though she hadn't heard the Queen enter, Frigga quietly stepped up beside her and rested her hand on Eir's back. "It's alright," she said soothingly. The room was otherwise silent, as Thor stood quietly in the corner and watched the proceedings with concerned interest.

Eir pulled the sheet down from Loki's bare chest and hesitated for only a moment before placing her hands upon it. A faint purple glow emanated from them and enveloped his body. With a look of intense concentration on her face, her hands swept slowly up to his neck, then his face, then down each arm. His abdomen and legs followed, the entire process taking nearly a half hour, during which time she was completely lost to the magic.

With it, she could feel what the soul forge could not show. The parasites too closely resembled a Jotun's own muscle tissue to be discernable, but Eir had seen this before. Once. In Laufey's oldest son and heir. The Jotun had died in agony seven days after it began. Eir let the magic dissipate and steadied herself with her hands on the edge of the bed.

"Brittleberry," she said after a moment. Frigga and Thor said nothing, merely exchanging nervous glances. She wasn't surprised they had never heard of it. "It is both a poison and a parasite that grows in the barren wastes of Svartalfheim, though even there it is exceedingly rare. It appears as a small plant bearing bright red berries that I am told are quite delicious, though they are not a plant at all. The fruit is the egg of the parasite, which after its ingestion moves to the intestinal wall in its larval stage, then as an adult migrates to the skeletal muscles and the heart where it feeds on the tissue until the victim hemorrhages or the heart stops." Thor and Frigga listened in stunned silence. "It also secretes a toxin that causes inflammation of the nerves and the brain." She touched Loki's hand hesitantly, as if she had no right to either offer himself comfort or try to garner any for herself. "It is a very painful way to die," she said softly, never wishing such a thing upon anyone, even Loki.

Thor was the first to break their silence. "How did this happen? Who poisoned him?"

Frigga interrupted. "There will be time for that later. What matters now is what can be done about it."

"I have seen this only once, in King Laufey's eldest son, not long after the war, but he succumbed. Even amongst the giants this poisoning is quite rare, and there was no known treatment. We found a way to kill the parasites but they released large quantities of neurotoxin at the time of their deaths." Eir looked at Frigga cautiously.

Frigga sensed her purpose. "But you believe there may be a way." Her kind voice made her long for the days when she and Loki trained side by side under the Queen's expert tutelage, but the man lying unconscious before her had cured her of that hope.

"I believe it is possible, but in spite of my best efforts, he may well die. I give you my word I will do everything I can to save him. Do you wish me to proceed, My Lady?"

Frigga leaned down kissed Loki's forehead, then turned back, taking Eir's delicate hands in her own. "You may ask anything in return that is within my power or the Allfather's to grant, but please do what you can for him."

"Your Highness," Eir gently squeezed the Queen's hands. "You have my solemn vow, for what it is worth here."

Tears shimmered in Frigga's eyes. "My dear child, your word is worth _everything_ here. I thank you not just as a queen, but as Loki's mother." She turned to Thor. "She is in your charge, Thor. Bring her anything she needs and help her in any way she asks. I need to return to your father. He must relinquish his body to the Odinsleep very soon."

Thor began to look put out at the order, as he always took great pains to avoid the healing rooms, but Loki's screams interrupted him. Loki thrashed back and forth on the narrow bed, writhing in pain, sweat beading on his brow.

Eir turned to Thor, grateful that he could not see her face through the veil. "Your Highness, if you would please…."

He cut her off. "It seems we are to be together for a time," he said, moving to keep Loki from hurting himself or falling off of the bed, which is what she had intended to ask him to do anyway. "Let us speak plainly to one another. Call me Thor." Loki quieted after another moment. "What shall I call you?" Thor asked.

"I have no name, not here. 'Healer' will suffice," she said, carefully bringing out a small steel case from the supplies she brought with her. The handle of the blade fit neatly in the palm of her hand, and her magic flowed over it smoothly. After so many years of use it felt like an extension of her hand, but this time was different. "Bind his arms and legs, then I will need you to hold him down. I can dull his pain, but not eliminate it. The toxin interferes. You must hold him still while I cut them out."

Thor nodded and began lashing Loki's limbs to the table. "My mother trusts you and Father seems very eager to forgive you, but I have not forgotten what your word is worth, nor how you betrayed my brother and my family." Thor looked at her, as if he wanted to see her eyes through the veils that covered her features so completely. "If you deliberately harm him or bring about my brother's death, I will kill you," he said quietly.

She didn't hesitate. "I would expect nothing less," she said, her voice calm and even.


	6. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has left a review. I value your opinions and the reviews keep me motivated to continue with what may be a lengthy story.

Fair warning: This chapter contains descriptions of medical procedures.

Chapter 4

In spite of the pain dampening spell, Loki struggled as the white-hot knife cut through the flesh of his upper arm. Thor turned pale as he held his brother down. Grateful for Thor's strength, Eir reached her delicate fingers into the wound and with considerable effort, pulled out a foot-long bluish worm with several fern-like projections dangling from its sides. She could feel those tendrils brush against her skin, trying to release their poison into her, but her protective spell blocked most of it. The worm barely wriggled in her hand before she shoved it into a basin and turned her attention back to Loki's arm, pushing her magic into the opening to heal the pale blue skin that Eir could see so clearly behind Odin's carefully crafted concealment. The gaping void in the muscle would have to wait, but Eir was grateful the bleeding ceased quickly.

For a time, Loki seemed to settle, slipping back into unconsciousness, and Eir turned her attention to the parasite. It had died quickly upon removal from its host. She removed a jar from her bag and placed it inside for further study once Loki was out of danger. "The worm's toxin has made it nearly impossible for me to separate his mind from the pain. The next one will be more difficult for him."

Thor relaxed his hold upon his brother's chest. "Can you remove the others?"

"I believe so. That one was the test, but the one on his heart must be next or he will not survive much longer."

"Shall I retrieve our healers to assist?" Thor glanced towards the door of the prison's healing room as it shimmered slightly. He suspected it was magically sealed, whether by his mother or Eir, he did not know.

"No. They doubt me and my skills, and your brother does not have time for their constant questioning or countermanding of my orders," she said with determination, pulling the sheet back down to Loki's waist. The number of blue ridges on his chest spoke to his royal parentage, but their intricacies told of his magic. Had he more closely resembled his father in his height and physical strength, Loki could have ruled the Jotuns. While it was his Aesir form that Eir had first found attractive, she had spent enough time among the Jotuns that she could see and appreciate the beauty of his true form, even if he could not.

Eir wove a new and stronger net of spells to block pain, render him unconscious, and slow his circulation, settling the weave over him gently. She rested her hand over his heart, silently begging his forgiveness for what she was about to do. A tear silently rolled down her cheek, and she was grateful Thor could not see her face through the veil.

"Please hold his shoulders, Thor." He complied, but his eyes held a warning for her.

"Thank you," she said carefully. Her magic flared over the blade just before she sliced through the thick muscle between his ribs.

Thor could see the bright glow of her hand as she reached inside. He had fought many battles and seen countless wounds, but he had to look away as she pulled the worm from his brother's chest with a sickening gurgle and rush of blood. Loki had briefly tensed under his hands when the knife cut through his skin, but his body was completely limp now. Eir quickly discarded the parasite before pushing her arm back into the wound as Loki's breathing became more labored. The air was heavy around them, palpably pulsing in its intensity, making Thor nearly summon Mjolnir to his hand on instinct. Thor recognized the feel of magical energy in spite of never being particularly skilled in its use, but the force of it around him was greater than any he had ever felt, even in battle against great sorcerers. It seemed to go on for minutes, making it hard to breathe under its weight, but he did not back away from his duty.

As quickly as it began, the oppressive sensation lifted. Thor watched Eir remove her hand from his brother's chest, the wound closing in around her fingers as she withdrew them like the tide rising over rocks, leaving no blemish behind. While the Aesir and Vanir possessed some of the most skilled healers in all of the Nine Realms, he had never seen such a wound healed so quickly or completely. She truly was their greatest healer, he thought to himself. Why had Father sent her away for so long?

Loki's breathing eased and became more even while Eir felt his heartbeat, strong and sure under her palm. The gentle tendrils of magic that she sent through him confirmed the success of the extraction, and she allowed herself a sigh of relief. She had healed a hole in his heart muscle larger than her thumb, mitigated the toxin in his heart, and closed his chest. Surely it would have been only minutes to a few hours before that vile thing killed the only man she had ever loved. Now she felt only sorrow for him. In spite of her attempt to save him from disgrace, Loki had brought a far greater dishonor upon himself and his family.

When her knees buckled, Thor was there to catch her, carrying her effortlessly to a nearby chair. "I'm alright," she reassured him, but she supposed that her heavy breathing and weakened voice did little to convince him. "I just need a moment."

"Shall I summon someone? You are not well," he stated, resting his large hand against her shoulder. While she was not comfortable with such an intimate touch, she didn't have the strength to protest.

"Loki will live. That is all that matters," she said quietly, glancing towards his still-sleeping form. She could feel first effects of the toxin as it spread through her body. More of it had seeped past her protective spell.

Surprise and puzzlement flickered over Thor's features, then he too looked towards his brother, Eir's hand still on Loki's wrist. "You are trying to make amends."

She shook her head no, but Thor didn't see it. That was probably for the best, she decided.

"Can I get you anything? Water?" His touch was gentle and his tone of voice kind, in spite of his view of their mutual history. She was impressed. Thor was no longer the impetuous and judgmental youth she remembered.

"No, but thank you." she said weakly, fighting the exhaustion and the emotions she thought she had buried so long ago. She quietly longed for her self-imposed isolation on Midgard. Being back in Asgard with the royal family was like rubbing salt into her newly-reopened wounds. Then she suddenly remembered what Loki had been through, what he was still going through, and she felt guilty for her momentary self-pity.

Thor sat down on the floor in front of her, resting his powerful forearms on his knees. "What happened between you and my brother? I know there is more to it than I saw."

"This is not the time or the place. We had an agreement, Thor." She motioned towards where Loki lay.

"My apologies. Perhaps we could speak of this later?"

"Perhaps," was all she would allow. She took several deep breaths and tried to gather her power. It had been centuries since she had expended so much magical energy in such a short time, but while the most immediate threat to Loki's life was removed, he would still die if she did not finish the rest of them. Her comfort was of secondary concern.

When she stood, Thor was there at her side, ready to lend his assistance without the assumption that she may need it. She felt some better, but she knew her body would demand several days of sleep when this was done. She desperately hoped that she could postpone that until she returned to Midgard.

Loki rested peacefully, the strands of her magic still conforming to his body. Through that link she could feel his strong heartbeat, hear his breathing, and monitor his state of consciousness. It was that link that kept him asleep, but she would not be able to maintain the spell indefinitely. It was already becoming more taxing.

"I need to work quickly. Please hold him still," she said to Thor, who resumed his position and a stern determination that mirrored her own. Within an hour, she had removed the other five worms, but she was forced to leave the muscle damage for later as she was so weak by that point that she could barely stand. She used the last of her energy to force an herbal mixture for pain into Loki's bloodstream, then she severed her magical link to him.

Thor had moved the large chair closer to her at some point, she didn't remember when, but she was grateful for its proximity. Slumping into it, she put her head down on her knees and tried to quell the nausea, but she knew that there was no way to combat the exhaustion. She hated for Thor, or anyone else, to see her like this.

"Will he live?" Thor asked her quietly. Hesitating with his hand over her shoulder, but his eyes on Loki.

"Yes," she whispered, hardly able to get the word out. She swallowed several times. "But there is more I must do."

"Thank you," Frigga's familiar voice made Eir lift her head. Again, she had not heard the Queen enter, which made her wonder if she had actually blacked out momentarily. Her peripheral vision was narrowing as the dizziness increased, forcing her to drop her head to her knees again.

Eir didn't have the energy to respond, she just kept her eyes fixed on Loki, trying to reassure herself that he was alright.

Frigga took a step towards Thor and touched his shoulder. "Your father asked to see you. The Sleep will take him tonight, and I have already said my farewells. Go to him now. I will stay with Loki."

Thor kissed his mother's cheek, then nodded respectfully at Eir before striding out of the room.

Frigga gently took Eir's hand in both of hers, then kissed the top of her head over her veil. "Thank you. We are all now twice in your debt." It seemed to Eir that Frigga waited for her to ask for some form of repayment of that debt, but now was not the time to tell the royal family she only wanted to be allowed to leave, to spend the remainder of her years away from Loki, trying to forget him.

A warm glow spread from Frigga's hands, down Eir's arms and into her chest, filling up the void inside of her where her magic usually dwelled, pushing back the exhaustion. Eir knew she should have resisted in some way, it was too presumptuous on her part to accept such a gift, but she had no defenses in her weakened state. Her magic knew Frigga's well and it flowed through her like a flood washing over a desert plain. Without meaning to, Eir slipped into a meditating trance, converting Frigga's golden energy to her own lavender-hued magic.

The feel of Frigga's love, for her and Loki, should have brought Eir peace, but it only burned. For centuries, she had tried to forget how it felt to be loved. She foolishly thought once that Loki loved her, and those days were the happiest she had ever experienced, but it was all a bitter, selfish lie. By her own actions, Eir ensured that Frigga sided with Loki, her son by right and claim if not by blood, but it was as it should have been. Even now, she wasn't sure if she missed having Frigga's love or Loki's false love more. Shaking her head, she tried to banish both sets of regrets.

Frigga touched Loki's temple, brushing back a lock of his dark hair from his face. "He wasn't always so bitter and lonely, you know," Frigga said, not looking away from the serene face of her son. "He was mischievous, yes, but there was a time when he was not so cruel. He brought us such joy as a child. He took to magic so easily, and each new spell he mastered felt like my triumph as much as his. I tried to teach him kindness."

Eir allowed the Queen to voice her thoughts without comment. When they had both been younger, Eir too had remembered Loki as playful and high-spirited, but not openly malevolent and megalomaniacal. It was that man that she had expected to marry when Frigga and Odin recalled her to Asgard after nearly a century of travel through the Nine Realms, learning the ways of healing from each. It was only now, as she watched Frigga with him, offering love that he no doubt rejected, that Eir truly pitied Loki. He seemed forever driven to push away those who could and did love him, while at the same time, craving their acceptance and praise. That terrible, deep loneliness was all too familiar to her as well.

Unable to endure any more shared regrets, Eir let her magic flow back into Loki, filling in the damaged muscles and soothing his battered nerves. Frigga went to attend to the king sometime in the second hour, leaving Eir alone with the man she once called husband.


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Eir woke sometime later to find that she was lying in a narrow cot next to Loki's bed and covered with a soft blanket, though she had no memory of how she came to rest there. The smell of food emanated from a nearby tray while a pitcher of water and one of mead waited nearby. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she sat up, but her first priority was always her patient. Loki's eyes were closed but his color had improved and he appeared to rest quietly, his body no longer wracked by the spasms or pain. Placing her hand over his wrist, she let the tendrils of her magic whisper over him, testing the success of her previous healing and searching for any new signs of damage. The process took longer than she expected as she kept feeling faint traces of the parasites in his abdomen; nothing large enough to be certain, but it was likely that in spite of her best efforts, this was not over.

When she satisfied herself that he was in no immediate danger, she gently severed the connection with him, though she gave in to the temptation to sit and hold his hand for a few moments. He would never know, she reminded herself, so it seemed harmless enough. As she stared at their joined hands, she noted how his skin was so much softer than hers, if a bit cooler. She allowed herself to remember the feel of those same fingertips tenderly stroking her cheek as he kissed her, and how strong his hands felt around her waist as he lifted her onto his horse and held her close as they rode out into the countryside together, laughing and full of youthful enthusiasm. He had seemed so content and relaxed with her in those days, but while she now knew it was all a ruse, she still missed him. She missed the lie.

Just as she began to pull away from him, his hand closed around hers gently. She looked up to his face and was surprised to find his eyes open, his head slightly turned as he watched her intently. Too stunned to move, she waited, feeling suddenly at a disadvantage. While there was no hostility in his gaze, his scrutiny made her uncomfortable.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice hoarse as he struggled with the words.

"The Queen asked me to tend to you during your illness," she said, turning away from him to pour him some water. "Drink this, Your Highness, it will soothe your throat." She helped him sit up slightly as he drained the entire cup and collapsed back against the bed with his eyes closed. She sighed gratefully for the reprieve.

As she poured him more water, she wondered how long she would have to stay here, with him. She had hoped to be back on Midgard long before he woke as she had obligations there, human patients who needed her as well as the few Asgardians and others who called Midgard home. She set the cup down on the small table next to his bed, and when he didn't stir, she poured another for herself. She'd not eaten in over a day, she realized, so she allowed herself a handful of fruit while she watched over Loki as he slept, knowing she needed to come up with a way to finish his treatment without being near him when he was lucid.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Thor in full dress armor, to whom she motioned to keep silent. "He is much better," she whispered. "He was awake briefly, a few moments ago, but he sleeps now."

Thor's eyes drifted briefly to his brother, then back to Eir. "May I speak with you outside?"

Eir followed him out, only to be greeted by the glares of Meran and her assistant. Two armored palace guards and a page in the king's livery waited at attention, their faces devoid of emotion.

"Bring us food and wine," Thor said kindly to the page, who scurried off to the kitchens, while he motioned for the guards to wait outside the room. "See to my brother," Thor commanded the healers.

"But we must know what she," Meran said, pointing distastefully at Eir, "has done to him if we are to…"

"Enough!" Thor said, clearly irritated. The healers stepped back and dropped to their knees.

"We meant no offense, Your Highness," said Meran, startled by Thor's reaction.

Thor reigned in his anger but let his displeasure be heard. "Yes, you did, just not to me. Our elven friend," he said, gesturing towards Eir, "succeeded where you could not, and you resent her for it, in spite of the unprecedented difficulty of the task." The older woman looked from Thor to Eir and barely opened her mouth to protest when he raised his hand. "Do not deny it. I have spent my entire life around resentment and envy. She will speak with you when I have finished with her. Now leave us." The two women left with one final glare over their shoulders.

Eir sealed the room for sound with a flick of her wrist. "We may speak freely now."

He motioned for Eir to sit at the small table, which she did gratefully. "How is my brother?" he asked more gently.

"Greatly improved, though I am concerned that there are more brittleberry worms developing in his abdomen. They cannot be removed at this stage, I'm afraid. I shall have to wait until they are more fully developed and migrating to his muscles, and before you ask, I do not know precisely how many more there are, nor how long this process will take. None so poisoned have survived to this stage."

"And you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you fare in all of this? You did not stir when I moved you to bed."

"That was very kind of you, thank you. I am well enough to continue."

Thor nodded solemnly. "Your efforts will not go unrewarded. You have done my family a great service, me a personal favor, and my brother a kindness that he will no doubt fail to appreciate. Therefore, I am lifting your banishment and restoring your titles here. You will be awarded property of your choosing, my steward will provide a list of those lands available to you. I will see to it that you receive sufficient gold to establish your household and a regular stipend for your expenses. You will be welcomed home formally, publically, by me personally, and after a time, if you wish it, I will arrange a good marriage for you to a noble of my court, which should help to put to rest any concerns about your reputation."

Eir had trouble forming the words around her outrage. "You gave me your word on the conditions of my return here! And now your father finds it so easy to violate this accord?"

Thor looked thoroughly confused. "Father sleeps, we know not for how long. I am king." He did not seem very pleased by the development.

She made a move to kneel, but he stopped her. "That is not necessary unless we are in public. Nothing has changed in that regard," he said with a forced smile.

"Then tell me why you have found it so easy to go back on your word."

He seemed puzzled as his eyes narrowed. "I thought you would welcome a full pardon and a generous reward for your services."

"You are incorrect. I wish to go back to Midgard as soon as possible, and remain there unless you have specific needs that cannot be fulfilled by your healers here."

He placed his large hand upon her shoulder and smiled at her. It was a gesture that he had likely used on countless others to great effect. "I need you to finish healing my brother and then with him to repair the Bifrost."

"Of course I will to do my best to ensure Loki's survival and good health, but as I told you before, he will never agree to form the magical bond with me that would be needed to generate a new bridge."

"It sounds more like you are the unwilling one." Eir leaned back and he let his hand fall back to his side, then hung his head for a moment. When he raised it again, he said, "Tell me what happened the night of your wedding, what really happened."

"You saw it with your own eyes. What is there to tell?" She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"The truth."

"Perhaps it is unwise to reopen old wounds which are better left to scar."

The page returned with the food but left quickly. "Please, eat," said Thor, taking a thick slice of meat and placing it on a slice of soft bread.

Eir took a handful of nuts and one of Idun's apples. The doors flashed briefly, preventing anyone from entering. She raised her veil but maintained the illusion of her elven face as she ate slowly.

"As your king, I command you to tell me the truth of that night." Thor didn't raise his voice, but the expectation of compliance was still clear.

"It will not alter my request to return to Midgard as soon as the situation permits."

"Your silence confirms my suspicions. Loki did something, didn't he? He clouded your mind so that you would lie with that man," Thor said, wishing he could see her true face to find the truth in her reaction. "Or perhaps you thought my brother was with you?"

Eir unconsciously rubbed her fingers along the high neckline of her dress. "He gave me a necklace at our wedding banquet. It bore his magic but its enchantment was unfamiliar to me. I learned later that it was meant to reinforce illusions, to make it more difficult for the wearer to see through them. Your brother asked me to wait for him in his quarters, in his bed, wearing nothing but that necklace, and I wanted to please him." She paused and took a deep breath, glancing at the door. "I trusted Loki as my husband, so I did as he asked. Yes, I thought the man I was with was your brother. The imposter wore Loki's face and I failed to see the truth until Loki terminated the illusion when he entered the room. He ended the enchantment on the necklace as well, so he would have you for an alibi and I would have no proof of the deception."

Thor put down his food and stared at her. "Then why did you accept blame when you bore no fault?"

"You have to ask? I did it because it was my duty as his wife to spare him the dishonor, to spare you, your mother, and your father his dishonor, and keep the reputation of the House of Odin untarnished." She glanced towards the door behind which she knew Loki rested. "And because I loved him, Thor, desperately. I knew in that moment that he did not love me." Her hands shook slightly, Thor noticed. "He would never love me, and the truth could not alter that fact. I could not bear to stay in Asgard or be anywhere near him, knowing how he had lied to me, deceived me at every turn into thinking that he loved me. I wanted only to be his wife and to raise our children together."

Thor put his hand over hers comfortingly. "I am sorry I did not see his vile intentions before he acted, or since. I wanted to believe that he could find happiness with you and mend his ways."

"That desire blinded us all."

Pulling his hand back, he said, "Loki has found far greater ways to dishonor himself since your departure, I'm afraid. Revealing his betrayal of you would not disgrace him or Asgard any further, given his recent actions on Midgard and the attempt to destroy Jotunheim. You could return here without disgrace."

"I appreciate your offer, Thor, but Midgard is my home. I have built a new life there, one where I have tried to forget your brother and what might have been."

"How can you forgive him so easily?" It was clear from his tone that Thor was past the point of forgiveness.

"What purpose does it serve to hold onto that anger? He never cared for me. I suspect that he opposed the marriage from the start but needed a way to escape it that would permit him to appear as the innocent victim and thus avoid future attempts by your parents to find him a wife, at least for many years. I fell for his deception because I was naïve and because I wanted to believe that he loved me the way that I loved him. How could I stay in Asgard after that? You may name me weak, but I could not bear the scorn, or the ridicule, or worse yet, the pity on the face of everyone I would see. I could not bear to be near him. Exile allowed me to begin a second life in a land where no one knew me or what had happened and I could pretend it never had. My dream of marrying a fine Aesir or Vanir and raising children was over, no matter if the truth was known or not."

"Did you not marry on Midgard? If I can fall in love with a mortal woman, surely you…"

"No."

"But surely you took a mate there? Earth is not without men of honor and intelligence." Eir knew Thor was looking for some sort of reassurance that his family had not damned her to eight centuries of loneliness and despair.

Looking away from his eyes, she shook her head. "No."

"Never?"

"Never."

"But you are a very beautiful woman," he said, looking at her again, then frowning, "well, when you look like…you. Elves have never been much to my taste." Realizing he had stepped past some imaginary boundary, he paused, shaking his head in silent apology.

"The Fates punished me once for my presumption. I know better than to tempt them again. I live each day by serving others, healing, and I learned long ago to be content with that."

"I fear they are punishing me as well. I love Jane, she loves me, but it seems that we are destined to be apart."

"Will you not marry her? I could bring her to you here."

"If only I could, but Asgard would never stand for it. I must marry someone of royal blood from Asgard or Vanaheim," he said, clearly resigned to this eventuality. "My duties hold me here just as they keep her from me."

She rested her small hand against his large forearm. The human he loved would age and die too soon, she knew, and Eir found herself reassuring him, as was her nature. "If living among humans has taught me one thing, it is to enjoy the ones you love while you can. I will bring her here, or take you to her, whenever you wish. Someday, after you have loved her as much as the Fates allow, you will be ready to marry for duty and it will not seem like such a burden. You will be a fine husband, as you are a good king, and when the time is right you will find a wife who fulfills your obligations as well as your heart."

Thor looked at her, then hesitated. "May I see your face, your real face, My Lady?"

Eir saw some unknown emotion pass through his eyes just before he took her hand more gently than she would have thought possible from someone so strong. His thumbs brushed across the back of her calloused fingers, but she remained uncertain if the gesture was meant to soothe him or her. Once her illusion dissipated, he looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"I can make this right for you, for both of us. When Jane… when she… You are a kind woman, Eir, a good woman who deserves better. Perhaps in a century… I could be a good husband to you. You would be Queen of Asgard." He was pleading with her now, desperate to fill the void in his soul that he knew would inevitably come with his Jane's death. "I know Mother and Father would approve and we could come to care for one another well enough in time. We could have children. I know they would be strong and…"

"Please, Thor, I cannot. I am honored, but..." He seemed puzzled by her response. No woman had ever denied him. Thor watched as Eir's eyes settled on the door to Loki's cell and a silent tear rolled down her cheeks. He finally understood.

"You love him still. Even after everything he has done to you, after everything he has become." Eir didn't look at Thor, she simply nodded.

"You know you can never have a future with him, don't you?"

Eir's elven visage shimmered back into place and she lowered the veil, sealing its magic around her like a shield. "That is why I will return to Midgard and try again to forget."


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"My offer stands, Eir," Thor said, trying to hide his disappointment. "But you need not give me an answer now." He couldn't bring himself to admit out loud that it would be when he was finished mourning Jane, but not yet over losing her, but he had no doubt that the woman before him knew.

She actually considered it for a moment. Perhaps another century would soothe her heartache, especially when she and Thor both knew that this arrangement was derived from their mutual pain rather than love. The basis of such a marriage would at least be honest, their expectations known, which was far better than she ever had with Loki. Marriages, especially royal ones, did not need to be based on love to be successful. Thor would treat her with respect and care, she had no doubt, and she could offer the same to him. It would best for Asgard if the line of succession was secure. "Find me when you are ready, Thor, but feel no obligation to do so. Time changes people."

He took her hand gently and placed a kiss over her knuckles. "Perhaps some of us," he said, letting her hand drop and straightening himself in his chair, trying to appear more businesslike.

Eir didn't know if he was referring to her or Loki, but she chose not to press him on it. "My offer stands as well. I will bring you to Jane, or her to you, whenever you wish and for as long as you wish it. I can even disguise her as an Asgardian if it would allow her to pass unnoticed here." Eir pressed a simple gold ring into Thor's hand and held it there against his skin for a moment while she wove the enchantment that sealed it to the king. "Hold it in your hand and speak her name. I will hear you and do my best to bring her to you. If you speak my name, I will come to you and bring you to Midgard. With your permission, I could give one to your Jane as well. If you both keep the rings upon your person, I will be able to locate you quickly, as I do not wish to impose upon Mr. Stark's time and generosity any more than necessary."

Thor nodded his assent, then sat back and looked at her with admiration. "I am very impressed," he said, focusing his gaze on the ring as he turned it over in his hand several times.

"I have had both the benefit of time to improve my skills and the burden of necessity."

"Yes, your skill with magic and healing is most formidable but that was not what I was referring to."

Eir waited, perplexed, not certain what he meant. She _was_ her skills. The help she could grant to others by her magic gave her life meaning, defined her.

"I offer to rescind your banishment, restore your good name, and make you Queen of Asgard, yet you concern yourself only with my heart. I offer myself to you in marriage and you would reunite me with my lover, a woman who would be seen as completely unworthy by all of Asgard."

"You love her, do you not?"

"Yes, with all of my heart."

"And she loves you in return?"

"Yes," Thor said, smiling at the memory of his Jane. "She is intelligent, honest, caring…. She spends her days seeking a portal between worlds to unite us once more."

"Then she is far from unworthy." She stood and moved towards the door, but hesitated just before dropping the barrier. "It is a rare and precious thing to find the soul that makes yours complete. Just because I will never have that privilege…" she said, glancing towards Loki's cell, "does not mean that I cannot wish such happiness for you, or anyone else, when I could bring it about so simply."

"Mother was right about you. You are a kind soul. My brother never deserved you." He glanced once more at the ring before tucking it away in his tunic and turning away from her with a gentle nod of his head.

"Thor? Promise me that you will not revoke my exile, or tell him I was the one who healed him. I can't stay here. Not now."

"I swear it, until you ask me otherwise. And you have only to ask."

"Thank you." She nodded once and released the weave over the room, stepping through the doorway to attend to her patient.

"And so my savior returns," Loki said coyly. He was propped up on several pillows, his face drawn but his eyes full of intelligence.

She hesitated near the threshold, not expecting him to be awake so soon. "How are you feeling, my lord?"

"Apparently, I am no longer dying, and it would seem that I have you to thank for that." His tone was far from thankful.

Eir stepped to his bedside only after making a conscious effort to put one foot in front of the other when every instinct she had told her to run. "May I examine you, your highness?" She wondered suddenly if her elven voice was different enough to hide her from him.

"Leave us," he said to the healers, who seemed all too happy to be free of him as they shuffled past her.

"Are you in any pain?" Eir asked, trying desperately to shift her perception back to Loki as her patient. She knew how to speak with patients.

"Physically?" He laughed more for his benefit than hers. "Why should you care?" Eir felt Thor step into the room. Now that he carried her token, she could discern his location from across the room or across all of space. "And what brings you here… brother?" The words dripped like venom from his lips. "Have you come to drag me back to my cell personally? You know, I'd rather come to enjoy this little vacation, screaming aside, of course. The prison's healing room really is quite nice." He glanced around the utilitarian space with nonchalance.

"I wanted to see for myself how you were."

"And now you have. Am I everything you've come to expect? Am I weak? Defeated?" He looked tired from the effort of standing up to Thor but he wouldn't give in.

"You appear far stronger than you did mere hours ago. If Mother had not found this healer for you, we would be building your funeral ship."

Loki's eyes flicked towards Eir and took in her concealed form from head to toe before returning his attention to Thor. "Then why is Mother not here to gloat with you? Instead of being granted the only escape I could ever have from this wretched incarceration, I will now have eternity in my cell to consider my profoundly good fortune in the form of this… healer." He sat forward, his posture becoming more aggressive with each passing second.

Thor stepped between the two of them protectively. "She saved your life. Show some respect!"

"Respect? You won't be happy until you have me groveling in the dirt at your feet!"

"That's enough, Loki!" Thor roared at him. "How can you be so ungrateful?"

"Oh yes, _brother, _how could I?" Loki threw his head back and laughed, but it wasn't the laughter of the sane. That's when Eir felt it, the cold whisper of power that stirred in the shadows. Had she not encountered the same magic previously, she would have entirely missed the faint blue tendrils that coiled themselves around Loki's wrists and ankles, winding their way up to his chest.

Eir stepped around Thor just as the faint blue glow reached Loki's eyes with a flash so subtle that she would have missed it if she hadn't known what to look for. As the two men continued to argue, she forcefully grasped Loki's face between her hands, diverting his attention to her momentarily.

"Sleep now," she whispered to him tenderly, like one would to a child. "Sleep, Loki." Her magic slid fluidly down her fingers to weave around him and sink through his skin, settling around his mind like a warm blanket on a cold night. He had only a moment to register her magic as it slipped through his weakened shields and he slid into unconsciousness.

Eir laid his head back gently on the pillow before lightly brushing the backs of her fingers across his cheek. The anger left his face in sleep, and she could almost see the carefree young man that she'd fallen in love with so many years ago. Even if it was all a lie then, it didn't stop her from wishing it could have been the truth.

Thor cleared his throat, snapping Eir out of the moment. "You…" Thor gestured to her, then to Loki. "How were you able to do that so swiftly?"

She nodded. "If he had been fully in control of himself, I may not have been able to break through his defenses so easily, but the recent ordeal has taken its toll on his mind as well as his body."

"He and I have argued about this many times. I fear it was not worth risking yourself to give silence to his anger."

"That is not the reason, Thor. His mind is not entirely his own. There is something or someone else battling for control. It clings to him even now. It feels… ancient." She closed her eyes and allowed her hands to hover over Loki's chest. "Disorganized but intelligent… and above all, powerful." Cocking her head to the side, eyes still closed, she said, "It speaks to him, seeks his magic. Only through him can it have form and effect. It is using him."

Thor considered her words, wondering how long this had been going on, if it was the reason for his brother's transformation from mischievous to malevolent. "Where does it come from?" Thor asked, taking a tentative step towards his brother. "How do we stop it?"

"It feels like the Tesseract, but perhaps not only that. When you brought it to Midgard, it whispered to me as well, drawn to me for my magic. I need to speak with the Queen..." her eyes found Thor's and he smiled sadly at her before patting her on the shoulder. Realizing her mistake, she said, "I apologize. The Queen Mother." If Thor had his way, Eir would be Queen, she was suddenly reminded.

Thor sent word through his guards, but while they waited on opposite sides of Loki's sleeping form, Thor sat down heavily. "You said that this magic sought you out, but yet you were able to resist it? How? Loki is more proficient with magic than anyone else in Asgard, perhaps except for you," he nodded in acknowledgement, "but he succumbed to its power and you did not."

Her eyes drifted back to Loki's face. "It promises something that I do not desire."

"What?" asked Thor.

"Power," she said simply, honestly.

Thor knew his brother craved the throne of Asgard, and failing that, another world. "Then it would have found an easy mark with him."

"I have banished its influence from humans several times since Loki's attack on New York. I believe you know Hawkeye?"

Thor's eyes lit up at the mention of one of his fellow Avengers. "Indeed. He is a fine warrior."

"It was in his mind that I first encountered it. The control in his case came from Loki's staff, but that energy somehow originated with the Tesseract. Thor, do you have any idea where the Tesseract came from?"

Thor shook his head. "No, but perhaps Mother does," he said, glancing back down at Loki. "How long will he sleep?"

"Until I release him." She took Loki's hand in hers, finding his skin far softer than she expected. "But I cannot keep him like this indefinitely. He has already been without sufficient food and water for nearly a week."

Thor tried not to, but he pitied them both. Loki had her love but did not want it, and Eir wanted what she could not have. Worse yet, she wanted what she knew she would never have and she'd accepted that truth, even embraced it. For a moment, Thor both envied her for that peaceful resignation and despised himself for bringing her here. He crossed the room, touching her shoulder briefly as he passed. She looked up at him with concern but he couldn't bring himself to utter the words. Leaving the two of them alone, he waited outside for Frigga.


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

How should we like it were stars to burn

With a passion for us we could not return?

If equal affection cannot be,

Let the more loving one be me.

W. H. Auden "The More Loving One"

An hour later, Frigga, Thor, and Eir stood alone in the weapons vault. The Tesseract had a link to Loki, she was certain of it, but there was something else here, something much stronger, more malevolent, and much more ancient. Eir turned and walked away from the Tesseract until she stood in front of the ultimate source of the power that held Loki's mind, the Casket of Ancient Winters. Its blue light churned and flickered before coalescing into a unified pulsing, almost like a heartbeat, her heartbeat. It called to her, offered her the power to rule and the knowledge of lost magic, but as it curled itself around her shields, the blue tendrils trying to find a way inside, it hesitated.

"_Loki,"_ it whispered to her seductively. _"We will give him to you. His mind. His body. He is ours already. We can make him into the man you want, to rule at your side. We can make him love you." _

Thor's arms encircled her upper body and pulled her backwards forcefully, facing her away from the object and temporarily silencing the voice in her mind. But she knew it waited there for her. It was patient, so very patient. Relaxing into his grasp, she took a deep breath and realized she should never have come down here without her full power. The healing, the sleep spell she maintained even now, even the realmwalk she had used to get to Asgard required tremendous expenditures of magical energy, leaving her more vulnerable than she should have been.

"Thor?" Her voice sounded far away, echoing inside of her head.

He held onto her firmly, leaving Eir time to consider what it felt like to be held. His arms were thick and muscular, strong enough to break her, but he was surprisingly gentle while Frigga stood before her, looking into her eyes. Frigga's magic pushed outward towards Eir, but Eir held her shields, fearing the worst if she opened her defenses even a crack.

Frigga stared at the younger woman for a moment longer, then nodded to Thor. "Take her upstairs, but do not release her until I am certain she is well."

Thor pressed his head closer to hers and spoke softly. "I won't harm you, Eir, and I apologize for touching you in such a fashion without your permission. I would never harm you." He ran the palms of his hands over her upper arms reassuringly as he encouraged her towards the stairs. It was strangely intimate.

If truth be told, it reminded her of how Loki had held in her in front of him in the saddle as they galloped home from their daily rides for those few blissful weeks so long ago. She recalled the feel of his breath against her ear as he whispered to her, his hand protectively pressed against her abdomen, the heat of his chest against her back, and of how he said he could not let her gallop so recklessly once she was heavy with child, his child. She imagined that he would have been a gentle but passionate lover as they spent long nights between the soft sheets of his bed, skin to skin, their hearts beating together. Their hearts as one.

"_Relax, Eir," Loki said as he stood behind her, kissing the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder, "I will take care of you, in this as in all things." His lips feathered over her shoulder as his fingers deftly loosened the lacings of her dress, letting it slide to her upper arms. "Long have I desired to have you like this, so warm and willing, not only in my heart, but so soon to be in my bed. Now I will have you for all eternity." He let the dress drop to the floor, to be quickly joined by her corset, leaving her clad only in the sheer shift. _

_Turning her around to face him, he cradled her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes, silently begging for her permission to continue. Yes, they were wed, but he knew she had not yet tasted such delicious intimacies as those that awaited her that night. In the soft glow of the firelight, Eir nodded and Loki's soft lips descended upon hers, gentle at first, but as she responded, their needs became more urgent. She could feel his arousal pressed tightly against her abdomen, but rather than being fearful, she felt only anticipation and desire. _

_Loki took her hands and led them to the clasps on his formal armor, clearly forgoing his valet's assistance in his hurry to bed her. With trembling hands, she released each of the clasps and let the armor clatter to the floor as he smiled at her lovingly. When she touched his chest, she could feel his heartbeat accelerate through the thin fabric of his tunic, which he removed quickly, revealing his smooth, muscular chest. His skin was softer than she'd imagined, but it was the possessive, low growl that escaped his lips when her fingers brushed his nipples that made her tremble. Thinking she had done something wrong, she withdrew slightly, but Loki wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, his lips crashing down on hers, his tongue forcing his way into her mouth as she sweetly surrendered herself to him. _

_He backed her up against the bed and gently eased her down onto it, never breaking his kiss as she squealed with delight. "Oh, my queen, I hope to hear that sound from you many more times in the years ahead of us. That sound, and many more like it. Before the night is through, I'll have you screaming out my name as you come for me, again and again." _

_Eir blushed a deep red but still managed to meet his eyes. "And perhaps, with some instruction, I will have you screaming mine, my king." _

_Loki's wide, satisfied grin and delighted laugh was all the encouragement she needed. "Oh, I am counting on it," he said, claiming her mouth again as he pushed up her thin shift, sliding it over her head effortlessly and leaving her completely naked beneath him. She allowed her hands to remain above her head as she stretched out beneath him temptingly. "You are even more beautiful than I ever imagined," he said, running the backs of his fingers up her side from her hip to her breast, making her shudder. _

_Finally gathering her courage, she reached up to touch him where his cock strained against his doeskin breeches. "May I?" She asked, reaching for the button as he groaned with pleasure and flexed his hips towards her. _

"_Please do. I want to be inside of you soon." Eir looked away nervously, embarrassment settling over her features as she hesitated. He untied the laces and freed his cock then brought her hand to it, showing her just how he liked to be stroked. Once his groans of desire restored her confidence, Loki leaned down to kiss her on the lips, then her ear, running his tongue along the side of it while nipping gently until she moaned. He whispered in her ear, "Never be embarrassed about our pleasure, my beautiful queen. I intend for us both to experience it often and intensely. I will show you how it can be between us." His mouth enveloped her nipple and he sucked gently at first, slowly increasing the pressure and letting his teeth graze over the tip until she cried out, and he didn't let up for many minutes as he alternated his attention between the two hardened peaks. _

"_Loki… please…" _

"_Yes, my love?" His hand parted her knees and drew one of them up towards her stomach before settling it over his shoulder. Warm fingertips parted her wet folds and Loki swiped his tongue across her, humming his delight against her, making her arch her back up off the bed. "Is there something you want?" _

"_Please don't stop," she begged, watching him down the plane of her body. His deliciously wicked smile was her only reply before his mouth covered her and his tongue began its assault on that most sensitive nub. She laced her fingers in his hair as she held him to her, the warmth tightening low in her pelvis before her world shattered and she cried out, every muscle in her body tensing. Loki didn't relent as he sucked on her clit and slid one long finger inside of her tight channel, curling it forward to find a spot that soon had her nearing that inexplicable peak again. _

_Loki's fingers replaced his mouth on her clit as he kissed his way back up her body to her lips, letting her taste herself on him. "Tell me you want me, Eir," he purred into her ear. _

"_I want you, Loki, my husband. I want only to be yours." _

_He spread her legs wider and settled himself between them, teasing her with the hardness of his cock. "You are mine, as I am yours," he said, sliding into her slowly, giving her a chance to adjust to his girth as he watched her face. Loki began moving slowly, carefully, but once he felt her pelvis rise up to meet him, demanding more, he gave in to the sensation of being sheathed in her tight heat and increased his speed and depth. Her soft cries of pleasure drove him to the brink of orgasm much more quickly than he had anticipated, so he slowed his thrusts, not wanting to find completion before his queen. _

"_Loki? Please don't stop," she begged, her body coated with a light sheen of sweat, her body aching for release. At her command, he slammed into her harder, finding just the right angle to make her moan, and within seconds she was screaming his name. Her internal muscles clenched around him and he followed her into that welcoming oblivion. As he collapsed on top of her, both of them sated, Eir wrapped her arms around his back and held him close, never wanting this moment to end. _

"_I love you, Eir," Loki said sleepily, kissing the top of her shoulder. _

"_And I love you, Loki. I always have." _

_He smiled brightly at her, then rolled them both over so the sound of his heartbeat could lull her to sleep in his arms._

Eir allowed herself to be lost in those feelings, just for a moment, before she realized that it was all a lie. Just another lie. Loki didn't love her. He had never loved her. Eir found her focus and pulled all of her remaining energy into the center of her chest, and just as the vault door closed behind her she forced the Casket's seductive presence out of her mind, slamming her shields in place. She was only vaguely aware of Thor lifting her off her feet, his hands under her back and her knees as her head fell against his chest and she surrendered to the darkness.

When she woke, it was Frigga's voice that greeted her. "Welcome back," she said with a kind smile, looking up from her book.

"How long have I been out?" Eir said, sitting up on the edge of the small cot. They were in the room just outside of Loki's.

"Only a few hours." Frigga offered her a goblet of mead, which Eir sipped. The mead of Midgard paled in comparison, but it was best she not grow too accustomed to the delicacies of her youth. She needed to leave her, and soon. "Drink it all, Eir," Frigga encouraged her gently. "I added a potion to it which will help restore your strength."

Eir stood but found herself slightly unsteady on her feet. "I need to check on Loki. I fear that I was unable to keep him asleep after…"

Frigga guided her back down to the cot, then sat down next to her, the Queen's arm draped over Eir's shoulders maternally. "He is well enough for now. Meran gave him something to calm him, and I've kept Thor away so they will not argue."

"Please accept my apologies for what happened earlier. The Casket… it controls Loki. His attempt to destroy Jotunheim, to rule Midgard, his alliance with the Chitauri, it was all the Casket… no, not the Casket, the intelligence imprisoned within it. The Tesseract and the scepter were made from its energy; they are amplifiers for its influence, and down in the vault they are together. It… they… offered Loki what he craved most. Power. Control. Dominion. I don't know when, or truly even how, but I know the feel of its taint."

Frigga took Eir's hand and studied her for a moment. "What did it offer you, if I may ask?"

"The first time with the Tesseract alone? Power. It was simple enough to resist. You know I've never craved power." Eir considered her hand as Frigga held it. She wasn't used to anyone touching her with such care and consideration, and it was seductive. Perhaps even more so than what the Casket offered. A part of her wanted to stay here and accept Thor's proposal. The offer of Loki's love, however, was almost irresistible. Almost. Her life, her real life on Midgard awaited, and the sooner she returned to it, the better. She didn't belong here. Not anymore.

"And the second time?"

Eir sniffed slightly and pulled her hand back. "Loki. They offered me Loki. His love, to be exact."

A tear ran down Frigga's cheek. "Oh, Eir. I'm so sorry. I've brought all of this upon you."

"You did not. My weaknesses are of my own making." She took a moment to gather her mental and magical strength and resettle the calm demeanor of a doctor and a healer around her. That façade gave her strength in its own way. "I have had success healing the minds of some of the mortals that Loki affected during his recent invasion, but I need to get him away from the Casket, from the Tesseract… away from here, if there is to be any hope of separating him from its influence."

"Yes, you do, but the question is, will you? You do not have to risk yourself for him. It may well be too late. I fear the Casket may have affected him since his youth. I should have seen it long before now."

"My lady, I would do the same for anyone else. No one deserves to live like that, not even Loki. If I can heal him, I will, but the final decision rests with you and Thor. You are both needed here, I cannot realmwalk more than one person at a time, and even one is taxing. However, I cannot be certain that I will be able to… control Loki on Midgard, and certainly not undertake the task of healing his mind or ridding him of the Brittleberry at the same time. There are those on Earth I could call on for assistance, but given their prior interactions with Loki, I fear it will not go well for anyone. My Queen, you can I both know he will try to escape, and he won't hesitate to kill me or anyone else who tries to stop him. I fear what he will do once he is free."

Frigga patted her arm and stood. "You leave that to me, my dear." She hesitated at the doorway. "Loki is complex and difficult, but I understand him far better than he understands himself. I'll give you what you need. Save him from himself, Eir. Please."

"I don't know if I can, or if anyone can, my queen."

"If anyone can, it is you, my dear. A difficult path lies before you both, but Asgard needs you. It needs Loki." She returned to her chair in front of Eir's cot, offering her hand to the younger woman. "Will you permit me to show you?" Frigga held out her hand and Eir grasped it just as the world faded away into Frigga's vision. By the time they were through, Eir understood just how dire that need would be.


	10. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I love to hear your reactions and thoughts, and reviews definitely make me write faster. Now on to the story.

Chapter 8

After checking her illusion and her veil were firmly in place, Eir dismissed Meran and her assistant, both of whom seemed grateful to take their leave. She studied Loki's face as he rested, finding the calm, relaxed features she remembered from their youth. It was that face that she needed to help him rediscover during his waking hours.

The threads of her magic intertwined as she settled them over the bare skin of his chest, then she finally placed her palms against his skin there to assess him. The toxin levels had increased from his last examination, but there were no signs that any of the parasites had grown large enough to detect directly or that they migrated from his abdomen, though it was a sure sign that his illness was not yet eradicated. When she did not feel the magic of the Casket immediately, she searched, finding the seat of its malevolence right behind his heart, pulsing quietly. It did not react to her presence as she thought it would, which perhaps frightened her even more. It was patient. Calculating. It would wait until she was weak and vulnerable.

Eir sighed and slowly lifted her hand from Loki's chest, suddenly remembering the feel of his skin from her vision.

"Please don't go, Eir," Loki said quietly, gently placing his hand over hers and returning it to his chest. She stiffened immediately, but when she didn't pull away, his head returned to the pillow and he closed his eyes.

She let out a long breath. "How long have you known it was me?"

"Long enough."

Eir released the weave that formed her illusion and removed her veil, pulling her hand back from Loki's chest to fold it neatly and return it to her leather bag. She stayed out of his reach.

"I've missed you, wife." Eir couldn't tell if he were serious or simply sarcastic, not that it mattered now.

Ignoring his use of that word, Eir squared her shoulders and snapped her professional demeanor back into place. She might be deferent in front of the rest of the royal family, but now that Loki knew who she was, she no longer had to pretend. "Alright, Loki, here's how this is going to go. You will accompany me back to Midgard, where I will evict Thanos and his little friends from the playground they have made of your brain. I am going to remove the remainder of the Brittleberry parasites and then you're going to go back to your cell. Unless, of course, you make it worth my while to intercede on your behalf."

He sat up and regarded her with a thoughtful expression, the wheels turning in his mind. "I'm listening." She knew he patronized her, but she also knew it didn't matter.

"I have the ear of your mother, your brother, and even your father, should he be needed, and they are all in my debt, as are other powerful members of the court. They trust me, Loki, like they have never trusted you. It is my word, and my word alone, that will determine your fate. If you behave yourself, you will not only have a second chance to earn their trust, but you may even have your freedom."

His laugh was full of sarcasm and condescension. Eir expected nothing less. "You? You don't have such power. How gullible do you think I am?"

Eir narrowed her eyes and held his gaze. "I think you are very, very gullible. You let the Casket and the Tesseract control you. You practically invited them in, didn't you? All with the promise of power." Eir had no way of knowing for certain, but with Frigga's recently-granted insight, it was an educated guess.

"You know nothing of what I have endured," he spat at her.

Her voice was cold and measured. "No, Loki, I never been lied to and betrayed by someone who I thought loved me. I've never been an orphan, raised in land far from my birth, without blood relatives that gave a damn about me. I've never been taken from the only home I had ever known and thrust into exile in a foreign realm, left to survive there with only the clothes on my back. I have never been spoken ill of, or ridiculed, or made to feel a fool by hundreds of people whose respect I once craved because I trusted someone that was undeserving of either my trust or my love."

Loki sat up as a condescending smile settled on his lips. "Ah, so this is all my fault, is it? You blame me for your own gullibility while simultaneously accusing me of the same. How magnanimous of you," he said sarcastically and with no small amount of irritation.

"I am not your enemy here, Loki."

"And why not?" He said sarcastically. "You certainly have more cause than most to hate me." Then he had an idea. "I see, you came here just to prolong my suffering," he stated, looking around the room and even behind him. "He did promise to punish me if I didn't deliver the Tesseract to him, and he does appear to be a creature of his word."

Eir didn't need to ask who Loki referred to. "How many of the berries did you eat?" She asked quietly, the full picture of his illness finally clear. "How many?" she repeated when he didn't answer.

He narrowed his eyes, leaned forward, and said, "All of them." He laughed. "I was assured there was no cure."

"Until today, that would have been correct."

Eir could see Loki's anger rising, the faint blue magic spreading from his chest outward. "You should have let me die!" he shouted while the rage in his eyes burned.

"Loki…" she took a step forward to try and comfort him as she would any other patient, but he pulled away from her.

"Don't touch me! I am a monster! And not just to the Aesir or Vanir, oh no. The frost giants as well. And now even the pitiable humans frighten their children with my name! Odin plans to let me rot in that cell while Thanos tortures me," he closed his eyes and pointed to his temple, letting his had loll from side to side, his brow furrowed. As she waited, her face impassive, Loki finally tired and slumped back across the pillows, his eyes clamped shut tightly, trying to control himself.

While he struggled, Eir took his hand, which he fortunately seemed not to notice. With a deep sense of regret, she wove a very fine tendril of power and threaded it through his poorly-maintained shields, through the same fenestration that the Casket's power penetrated. "Loki," she said, weaving it around him so subtly that he wouldn't notice in his current state. "Open your eyes and look at me." Without hesitation, he complied. "Trust me, Loki." The last push of her power washed over him like a gentle mist.

His features softened immediately as he looked at her, except for the faint blue glow in his eyes. Thanos was going to fight her for him. "I do. I do trust you, Eir," he said finally, her magic triumphing, at least for the moment.

"Good, Loki. Good." She stroked the back of his hand with her thumbs and the tension released from his shoulders. "Your mother and I have something for you." Loki hadn't even noticed his mother entering the room, but even with that announcement, he didn't turn his eyes towards the other woman.

Frigga said nothing as she placed an ancient, worn bronze band around Loki's wrist, locking it in place, then repeating the process on Eir. The queen mother placed one of her hands on each of the items and used her considerable power to activate the magical link between them and secure the enchantment that should keep both of them safe in Midgard.

When the two women released him, Loki looked at them like he had no idea what was happening, before turning his attention down to the new addition, which was now seamless and irremovable. "What have you done?" Eir could feel him probing it with his power.

"Eir, leave us now," his mother said, her tone allowing for no protest. "I have prepared a bed for you. You with both will leave at first light for Midgard. Until then, I will stay with my son. There are some things we must discuss."

Eir placed her clenched fist over her heart in salute. "Yes, my queen," she said, then quickly turned her back and departed before she could see the horrified expression on Loki's face as he discovered the bracelet's function and his new servitude.


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next day, Stark Tower

"Jarvis?"

"Welcome back, Dr. Eklund. How may I assist you?" the overly-pleasant synthetic voice replied.

"Is Clint Barton within the city limits?"

"He is on Sublevel Three, Section H, ballistics range. Shall I connect you?"

"Audio only, Jarvis, thank you."

"Erin?" Clint said, slightly breathless. "Are you okay? Stark said that you—"

On any other day, she might have attempted to gently correct his lack of formality, but today, it was very much to her advantage. "I apologize for interrupting you, but I must ask you for a favor."

"Sure, yeah," he said, wiping his face with a towel. "Did you change your mind about dinner?" The smile in his voice would be short-lived, Erin knew.

"Can you and Ms. Romanoff come to the quarantine lab?"

His tone became serious very quickly. "Is there a problem?"

"You could say that. I need your help, and for now, I am asking for your discretion, as well as that of Ms. Romanoff. I will tell you more when you arrive, if you are willing. Please."

"Yeah, sure. I'll get Natasha. We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thanks. I owe you," she said with a weak smile.

Loki stood just where she'd left him, outside of the large glass enclosure built to hold her colleague, Dr. Banner, staring at it with a look of resignation and horror. Through the Thralldom Bracers, she had reluctantly forbidden him to speak or move. It made her heart ache to use that power against him, but it was the only way. She went over and took his hand, which remained limp in her grasp, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. It might be the last time she would ever have such an opportunity.

"I'm sorry, Loki. I really am." He was just as handsome as he ever was, with his chiseled cheekbones and intelligent eyes, even though they now regarded her with barely-contained rage. "Maybe someday you'll forgive me. But don't worry, if all goes well, I will go back into hiding and spare you the humiliation of having to admit it. I hope you know by now that I will keep your secrets." She released his hand and waited by his side in silence for her two accomplices to arrive, not daring to let him speak while the Mad Titan's influence remained. She knew it would be nothing but venom from his lips anyway.

"Shit. Is that Loki?" Natasha said from the doorway. "What the hell is he doing here?" She pulled two semi-autos from her back and leveled them at Loki, but Eir stepped between them.

A tense moment followed, but when Loki didn't react, didn't flinch or even turn his head to flash his evil smile, Clint put out a hand to calm the nervous redhead. "Erin, what's going on?"

"It's the Tesseract. Loki has been under the influence of the same power that you were, Clint, during the Chitauri invasion, though I fear it has had him for much, much longer. I need your help to free him from it."

"This is a trick, Doctor. He's using you." Hawkeye was becoming increasingly agitated, Eir knew, because his voice was getting calmer and more controlled while his body became very still. She'd seen the behavior before in many a warrior in the moments before battle.

"I can heal him, like I healed you, but I need your help. You know what it's like to be possessed by that thing." Eir walked carefully towards him. "You know what it's like to be freed from it, to be given a second chance, to be forgiven." She glanced at Natasha briefly. "Please, Clint. You are the only one I trust with this."

His eyes never wavered from Loki's still form, but his voice softened slightly. "He's dangerous. You have no idea."

Eir turned away from Barton and entered her code into a keypad on the nearby console. "Loki, please go into the containment chamber."

Loki complied without looking at her, but Eir could feel the waves of hatred coming off of him as she sealed him inside in silence.

She spoke quietly to the two agents. "I have him under my control right now, but when I go into his mind, the… power behind the Scepter and the Tesseract will attempt to seize control of me. If it succeeds and I fail to free Loki, you will have to kill him."

"Why wait?" Natasha asked, her voice icy.

Clint's focus finally shifted from Loki to Eir as she answered, "Because there's a chance that he can be our ally when an even more dangerous enemy comes to threaten the Nine Realms, and there _is_ something much worse coming. We need him."

"I recall we had some trouble killing him last time. What is the best way to end an Asgardian? It's fine if it's painful," Natasha said.

"I will supply you with the means if we have an agreement that you will only use it if I fail. I need your word, Clint. Give me a chance to help him, as I helped you."

"Fine," he said reluctantly, but there was a gentleness in his eyes that convinced her the man was sincere.

Before Eir could thank him, Natasha interrupted. "Doctor Eklund, why am I here? I'm sure you weren't looking for moral support."

Eir had to smile at her forthrightness. While they had only met briefly once before, Erin admired her pragmatism. "You're here to kill me if things go wrong."

Natasha held the doctor's gaze for only a second before nodding her assent, but it was Clint who objected, as Eir expected. "No, Erin… we'll just figure out a way to fix you if that happens. Natasha has a mean right hook… if she hits you hard enough, that will bring you back, right? No one is killing you."

"Clint…" Natasha warned.

"It takes more than a punch to damage us," Eir said, looking back at Loki briefly.

Clint's eyes widened, then narrowed again as he studied her face, the realization becoming clear. "Us? You told me you were from Norway." He looked put out.

She just smiled at him, knowing that he had been aware of the truth since she first touched his mind. It was only his wishful thinking that keep him from embracing it. "This is the safest way for everyone. I had to get him out of Asgard, away from the Tesseract," she said, deliberately leaving out mention of the Casket, "and you two are the only ones I can trust with this." She turned to Clint, "He wasn't always this way. Please give me a chance to save him."

"Alright," he said, looking into her eyes for just a moment before turning around to stare at Loki. "But if he hurts you, I will kill him. Painfully."

"I know."

Hawkeye toyed with the case of a nearby Geiger counter. "How will I know if he… if it is not you anymore? If the Tesseract has you?"

"You'll know. That's another reason I asked you to help me. You'll know." Clint just nodded, but wouldn't look at her. She knew she had placed him in a very difficult position, but without their help, she would be doing this without a backup plan and risking all of Midgard, if not the Nine Realms.

Natasha cleared her throat. "So, Doctor, what's your plan? How do you propose we kill a god, and I suppose, a goddess?" Her eyes flicked up and down Eir's body, clearly looking for a weakness.

Four small clay spheres appeared in Eir's palm, two pairs with very similar runes inscribed upon them. She set one pair down before withdrawing a blade from her belt and raising her shirt. The quick flare of her magic down the blade preceded the sharp slice in her side as Clint rushed towards her. Thankfully, Natasha held him back with an arm in front of his chest and a few quiet words.

Eir whispered the incantation as she pushed the sphere through the incision, coating its match in her blood as she finished. To the amazement of the two agents, the blood disappeared into the clay, leaving behind a faint red glow. Saving her magic for the main event, Eir rubbed a light lavender salve over the wound, sealing it within seconds.

She passed the stone to Natasha. "If the time comes, whisper my true name, Eir, then 'banahögg', which means 'death-blow'. Crush the sphere, and it will be done." She had Natasha and Clint practice the pronunciation several times. "Use same procedure with Loki's name, Clint, should it come to that."

Natasha recognized the doctor's name and its historical significance, but fortunately chose not to make this an issue, but Clint wasn't satisfied with the arrangement. "He's not going to let you walk up and cut him open, Erin. Sorry, Eir."

"Loki will permit it because unfortunately, he has no choice at the moment," she said.

Clint stood just outside the door to the containment chamber, staring through the thick plastic walls at Loki, still standing immobile just inside. "If he's so powerless, why don't you just keep him that way instead of risking… all of this?"

"I know you hate him for what he did," Eir said calmly, "and I don't blame you, but no one deserves to be enslaved." She looked at her former husband, feeling only pity for him. He could have been a very great man. Resting a hand on Clint's shoulder while she looked back at Natasha, she knew they couldn't wait any longer. Mr. Stark, Fury, and Allfather knew who else would be arriving at any moment to stop her. In fact, she was counting on it in case things went terribly wrong.

After sealing Eir inside the chamber with the man who would be king, Hawkeye and Black Widow stood as silent sentinels, waiting to see if they would gain an ally or murder a friend.


	12. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Please lie still." Loki didn't flinch, moan, or even look at her when she implanted the sphere in his flank, but his eyes burned into her. Once its mate was safely in Barton's hand, she asked (well, compelled, really) Loki to lie upon the padded floor, while she straddled his abdomen. She was well aware of what how this appeared and Loki even raised an eyebrow at her, a small smirk playing across his lips, while Eir remained grateful that she hadn't granted him permission to speak. There was nothing sexual about this for her. She needed to get to that spot behind his heart, and this provided her with the best vantage point and touching his bare skin would enhance the connection between them. Looking into his eyes one last time, she raised his shirt and placed her hands over his heart.

"Please help me, Loki," she whispered. "Frigga's waiting for you in Asgard. She forgives you and she loves you. I forgive you, even if you cannot forgive me for this," Eir said, guiding her power through the nearly imperceptible defect in his shields. She used the bracers to drain his energy and make it her own, to weaken his defenses, and leave him vulnerable, bare to her magic. She hated the feeling of it, since doing such a thing was akin to magical rape, but it couldn't be helped. Asgard's need was greater than their own.

After such a tactic, she knew Loki expected a full frontal assault to try and force that amorphous, cold power to relinquish its hold upon him, but this form of healing required just the opposite. The body could tolerate a massive but temporary trauma, such as surgery, as long as the damage was largely repaired. The mind, however, was far more delicate, something that ancient intelligence clearly had not understood when he bound Loki.

Eir's energy brushed against him lightly, soothingly, and like a warm blanket on a cold night. It was an offer of comfort. It didn't surprise her that Loki chose to fight instead, and she was ready for him, letting his attacks pass harmlessly over her shields while he exhausted himself and his rage grew. All the while, she could feel that cold power waiting and watching. It was ready to break her.

_One Thousand Years Ago_

_Odin stood before the Casket of Ancient Winters with his two sons, and Loki found himself mesmerized by the pulsing light within it. He'd heard it described as a chaotic swirling of energy but it was more than that. It was purposeful. The longer he stared at it, the more he allowed his blossoming magic to reach out towards it, the more he became convinced it was not simply raw power that linked it to the frost giants, but a true intelligence. Father and Thor had their attention focused on some worthless hammer that Thor tried unsuccessfully to lift, leaving Loki alone to investigate the Casket further. As soon as he was within arm's reach, the blue energy within pulsed in time to his heart, whispering his name. _

_Loki glanced around nervously, but no one else, not even the guards, seemed to hear its call. His fingers made contact with the Casket for barely an instant, causing it to surge with energy, which it shared with Loki in a moment of glorious ecstasy. It offered him knowledge, secret knowledge of magic, the cosmos, the Nine Realms, even truths about his father and his nobles that were hidden from nearly all. It offered him power, pure, unadulterated power, but not just through magic or physical prowess, though it did promise those in ample measure. It offered him the experience of countless rulers who would give him mastery of the intrigues of court, the finer points of manipulation, and even seduction. The Casket offered him a partnership. Its sentience would be with him to guide and help him, always, and in return, he would rule, as he was meant to. It felt both benevolent and predestined. _

"_Grow, live, learn," it whispered in Loki's mind. "We will always be here." _

_The dark blue magic that had engulfed his hands rapidly faded away and the chaotic swirling inside of the Casket resumed, just as it was before Loki made contact. Afraid that Father had seen him disobey the rules, he was surprised to find that barely a second has passed since Loki was offered his heart's desire. Thor still tried valiantly to lift that hammer while Odin chuckled encouragingly, oblivious to all that had occurred. Loki knew he would someday be the favored son, the King of Asgard, the King of all the Nine Realms. _

_Nine Hundred Years Ago_

_Fandral slipped in the newly-appeared mud while Loki easily moved around behind him, a slim dagger now poised at the base of the blonde man's throat. _

_With a sigh of reluctance, Fandral finally said, "I yield." _

_Loki's triumphant smile at besting the man faded upon the latter's accusation of cheating in their battle practice. _

_Before he could open his mouth to defend himself, the Casket's quiet whisper ghosted into his thoughts. "Offer him a way to save face or he will become your enemy." Impatient with the suggestion at first, Loki quickly saw the wisdom in that path, as much as it pained him to admit it. He wanted the glory of a victory over the preening fool at his feet. _

_Instead, Loki offered him his hand to assist him up. "There are some who would call it cheating, yes. But as I have neither your strength nor your skill with a blade, I am forced to resort to such trickery to defend Asgard and her people. I would not want to have my poorer methods go into battle untested. You are indeed the better man," Loki said, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth in spite of the practiced smile that graced his lips. _

_Fandral regarded him for a split second, feeling the truth in the words, and accepted Loki's hand. Thor clapped from his newly-acquired seat in the dirt of the practice field. Sif offered her hand to the blonde prince, who clearly had been defeated by her brand of battlefield tactics, and he leapt to his feet. _

"_Apparently," the large man said as he stood and kept ahold of Sif's much smaller hand, "surprise does have its place in war." Thor kissed the back of Sif's hand, staring longingly into her eyes and making her blush, just as his mace knocked her feet out from underneath her. Not relinquishing her one advantage, she pulled the golden prince down with her._

_The awkward moment of sexual tension between the two did not remain unnoticed by Loki, least of all when Thor reached out to clear one of Sif's long, golden blonde hairs from her forehead. It was the same hair that Loki longed to touch, to wrap around his naked chest as she gasped in pleasure at his touch. He wanted to crack her strong exterior and find the vulnerable woman within and guard the secret way to her heart until the end of his days. How he longed for her to look at him the way he looked at his oafish brother. _

_Thor's broad smile as he rolled off of the woman and pulled her up to her feet, holding her a few seconds long than necessary, made Loki's blood boil. "My Lady Sif," Thor said, touching her hair again, feeling its softness with his fingers, as he leaned down and said something into her ear that Loki could not hear. The deep red blush that spread across her cheeks as she bit her lower lip and nodded gave away the content of Thor's whispers. _

_The edges of Loki's vision pulsed with blue light in time with the beat of his heart. "You cannot let him take what is yours by right. If you want her, then claim her for yourself or spoil her so she no longer holds such fascination for that imbecile." _

_Yes. Yes. He knew what he had to do, and a smile of wicked delight settled onto his face, overshadowed only by glint of mischief in his eyes. _

_Six Months Later_

"_Loki?" Sif said quietly, disturbing Loki's studies in the library. For once, she hesitated, seeming almost submissive in her mannerisms, so unlike her usual brusque strength and posturing. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through her jet black hair, black enough to match his own. He found himself intensely jealous of those perfect fingers. _

"_What can I do for you, Lady Sif?" He said courteously, closing his book and drinking in the sight of her. She was perfect in every way now, with her creamy white skin accented so beautifully by her dark hair, while her figure-hugging armor suddenly made his breeches feel tight. He already knew why she was there, but he wanted to hear her say it. _

_She sat down in the chair next to his, but wouldn't look him in the eye. "Will you please change my hair back to blonde, my prince?" _

"_Why would I do that? You look absolutely ravishing," he said with a seductive smile, reaching out to touch her. _

_She pulled back instinctively. "Please, Loki. What must I do to convince you?" _

_He let her stew in the moment as he savored this small triumph over her. Getting Sif to swallow her pride, to come to him so pliant, so supplicant, was a rush that was truly worth the wait. Finally, he took a lock of her beautiful hair and twisted it around his finger, careful not to frighten her further as he leaned in slowly, closing his eyes and breathing in her delicate scent. She smelled like honey and vanilla and the fresh leather oil that kept her armor supple. _

"_I think you know what I want, Lady Sif." _

"_Do I?" She said sheepishly. _

_Loki smiled. "Very well. I'd like you to have dinner with me in my chambers, then spend the rest of the night with me, naked in my bed," he said as he trailed his fingertip down the side of her neck, making her shiver but not pull away. "I will teach you all of the finer pleasures of the body and leave you so sated by morning that you will barely have the strength to find your chambers at dawn." He took a handful of that soft, black hair in his fist and gently pulled her head to the side, baring her neck to him. Loki felt her breathing accelerate, her pulse beating furiously underneath his lips as he pressed them ever so gently against her skin before withdrawing from her completely. "I will see you at dusk," he said, turning to leave the library with a self-satisfied flourish. _

_The ecstasy of victory, however, was short lived, as Sif did not appear in his chambers that night at dusk, or on any other night. _

_Eight Hundred Fifty Years Ago_

_While Loki's notoriety as a ladies' man had reached epic proportions, his prowess in battle increased to a much less well-known pinnacle. Every time he saved the life of another, he brushed off their thanks and praise, asking them to keep the event as "our little secret." On one occasion, Sif found herself seated next to Loki during a feast in honor of their victory over the fire giants, and he could read her discomfort as easily as he could a child's book. During the battle, he had blocked a blow that had been meant for her head, one that would surely have killed her instantly. The bones of his arm shattered from the force of it and most of the skin there was burnt to black. The healers had assured him the arm would heal, but Sif saw just how much pain he was in every moment. _

_As Thor finished regaling the assembled audience with the tales of his own valor, he allowed Fandral and Volstagg to recount their stories of day's glorious battle, and by the time the plates were cleared, Sif looked at Loki and nodded respectfully. Just as she opened her mouth and made a move to stand, Loki's good hand caught her arm and pulled her back into her seat. _

"_Don't, Sif. It's best that no one have too high an opinion of me. Don't you agree?" _

"_Loki… I would now be feasting in Valhalla if it were not for your intervention. They deserve to know of your sacrifice." _

"_Let it go, my lady," Loki said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "They'll never believe it of me anyway, and I'm sure you wouldn't want my dear brother to think you'd developed a soft spot for me. Let's forget it ever happened. You are skilled at that, are you not?" _

_He could tell his words hit home, even with his eyes closed. _

_Eight Hundred Years Ago_

_Loki and Eir rode back into the stables as their daily outing came to an end, her horse trotting along behind his since he had taken to holding her close to him in his saddle. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with strawberry blonde hair that he longed to see fanned over his pillow as he made love to her, and the scent of her skin where her neck met her shoulder was sweeter than Idunn's apples. She had grown from a timid child who deferred to him in their lessons as well as their play into an independent woman who won the respect and admiration of the common people as well as royalty in all of the Nine Realms. Tales of her healing skills and compassion had reached Asgard over the years, and Loki spent considerable time and effort researching her after Odin's announcement of their impending nuptials. While her strengths with magic differed from his own, she promised to be no less powerful, and to his great surprise, he found he no longer despised the idea of marriage to her. Perhaps he was finally to be awarded some modicum of happiness. _

_He held her close for a moment longer than necessary once they had reached the interior of the stable, and he savored the stolen intimacy as he kissed the top of her shoulder. "Yes," the Casket whispered in his mind after being strangely quiet the last few weeks. He could see the faint blue tendril of magic extend from him to caress her shields. "She is powerful. You will give her to us, Loki. Once she is ours, and yours, we will be unstoppable. She will allow your magic to breach her shields as your body breaches her maidenhead, and at that moment…" _

"_Stop!" Loki cried out in his mind, dismounting and throwing the reins at the stable boy, making his excuses to Eir, and running from the building. "She is mine. You will not take her from me!" _

"_We can," the pressure inside of his head built, "and we will. We will own her as we own you." _

_Loki stormed away from the stables and back to his chambers where he railed against them where the others could not hear. Their words echoed in his mind, again and again, until he thought he would sink to the next level of madness, if such a place even existed. _

_He paced until his legs could carry him no longer and he collapsed against the hard stone wall near the fireplace in his chambers. It was then that an idea occurred to him. _

"_She is not like me, like us. Eir was brought here to unman me, to stifle my ambitions with her all-too-gentle ways. Father did not arrange this marriage to have her rule at my side, but to curb my desire for power. Lady Eir will only work against our plans." _

_That blue power swirled in his mind, testing the truth of his words and eventually finding them adequate. Loki had never been so grateful for his gift of lies. "Then kill her." _

_Loki paced back and forth in his room. "No. I will not." _

"_Kill her. Kill her. Kill her." The chanting of their demands reached a fever pitch that even an entire skin of mead would not quell. At least, not until a better idea presented itself. _

"_I shall marry her, but dishonor her, strip her virtue from her before the marriage is consummated. She will remain my wife, but I shall send her away to one of my most distant estates. If I kill her now, it will not be long before the Allfather finds me a new bride to replace her. If I marry Eir first, and refuse to seek an annulment, Father's hand will be forced and I will remain free to do your bidding." The last words felt like poison in his mouth even though he did not speak them aloud. But it was the only way. _

"_Very well. Do it." _

_Four Hundred Years Ago_

_The Casket gave Loki mastery over long-forgotten spells, knowledge of the lost ways between the Realms, and how to acquire a collection of secrets on nearly every person of importance in Asgard and most of the other Realms. Loki threw himself into his work, using the daylight hours ingratiating himself with the warriors as well as the nobility and the nights to cuckold those very same men. It was the wives and daughters of the most powerful men who unwittingly revealed such sweet secrets to him in the throes of passion. He purchased the loyalty of a myriad of servants while simultaneously amassing a sizeable fortune with his new-found knowledge. The prince made a name for himself—Silvertongue, earned as much for his talent for persuasion and blackmail as for his skills at pleasuring women long into the night. _

_It was only Sif who escaped his machinations. She was the only one Loki completely ignored. He would exchange pleasantries with her when the situation demanded, and while they came to each other's aid on multiple occasions on the battlefield, nothing was said about such matters after the fact. _

_Much to Loki's surprise, Thor seemed to take note of this unusual situation. "Tell me, brother, why does the Lady Sif vex you so?" _

"_It appears she vexes you far less than she would like," Loki quipped back. His brother always fell for such deflection. _

_Thor punched Loki's arm so hard it nearly knocked him off of his feet, though Thor would only see it as good natured teasing. "Ha! You jest! Lady Sif seeks to best me in the practice field, which she has come perilously close to doing the last few years. But it is you she watches." _

"_Me? No, it is you she desires to have underneath her, and not just on the arena floor, brother," Loki said with a charming smile. "I think she wants a much more intimate type of battle with you, one where you conquer her fully." _

_Thor pondered the thought for a moment as his face turned serious. "Loki, you will not say such things. Sif is an honorable warrior—" _

_Loki pressed his advantage. "Oh yes, brother, that I do not doubt, but see how she looks at you, even now." They both let their eyes wander to where Sif sat drinking wine with the Warriors Three. She raised her glass to them, but it was Thor's gaze she held. _

_Thor swallowed hard, twice, but quickly excused himself for the evening. Loki smiled widely at Sif, raising his glass to her before he left the hall to bed his latest conquest. _

_One Hundred Years Ago_

_Loki joined his mother in her chambers for a private breakfast. He sensed he was in trouble, but took no care in it. His mother was forgiving to a fault. _

"_Loki, your father asked me to speak with you." _

"_Did he?" Loki took a large bite of one of Idunn's apples. _

_Frigga looked disappointed in her son, but Loki had long ago learned how to maintain his composure under her withering stare. "He doesn't approve of your constant dalliances, especially not with the wives and daughters of his councilmen." _

"_And what is it to him, Mother? Is it jealousy? Just because he is too old and infirm to—" _

"_Loki!" Frigga warned him with her eyes as well as the tone of her voice. _

"_Mother," he said with a charming smile, "I am quite careful to ensure that none of them bear me a child. It's Thor that you should be chastising. So many of the women come to be for solace when my brother has tired of them. I am merely settling their fragile nerves and returning them to the welcome embrace of their husbands." Loki knew Frigga would never buy such an outrageous explanation, but he sometimes enjoyed baiting her to the point of frustration. "They all come to me willingly, Mother. I do not force them." Well, at least not physically. He didn't have to; he knew their secrets. _

_This time, however, she just ruffled his hair and smiled down at him. "Perhaps you are providing a public service for their wives but what of their daughters?"_

_Loki leaned back in his chair and took another bite of his apple, smiling at his mother. "Why, I'm just preparing them for the rigors of married life." _

"_Oh, Loki." Frigga could see how the women couldn't resist his charms. "But do you love any of them?"_

"_I've loved all of them quite thoroughly, and more than twice per night, since you ask." _

_Stifling a laugh, Frigga finally sits and takes Loki's hand. "Sooner or later, you are going to offend the wrong man, and I fear for your life should that happen. My son, I would have you find love. Real love. Perhaps marry?" _

_Loki's smile slipped for only a second. "Because that worked out so well last time, did it not?" _

"_Loki..." _

_The Casket's interest was piqued. "Does she have a bride in mind?" It pushed against his resolve not to take the conversation further. _

"_Do you have a bride in mind?" he asked tersely. _

_Frigga's eyes were kind, making her love for her son known, and it was that look that always managed to strip away his carefully-constructed façade. "I'm worried about you, Loki. I am not oblivious to the gossip of the court, and I know how your influence has grown. When Odin passes the mantle of kingship to Thor, your brother will look to you for guidance. He inspires loyalty, but you are the one that Asgard must have to manage its day to day needs. Roads must be maintained, our warriors supplied, and our defenses kept airtight. Thor will put on a charming smile for the diplomats, but he will rely on you to tell him what to say. You will be the power behind the throne, my son, and you need to start acting like it." _

"_I thought I was." _

_Frigga's patience was at an end. "You need to be more discreet, and more… selective. Half of the nobles in Asgard would like to slip a dagger through your ribs." _

"_Only half? I'm slipping."_

"_Enough. You will spend your time with me, learning how to rule. Thor and Odin are more alike that you know." _

_The Casket's hold on him had grown stronger each year, and when it instructed him to be taken under her political tutelage, he had agreed with an enthusiasm that was not his own. _

_Four Years Ago_

_The Casket had been right. With Laufey dead by his hand, Thor banished to Midgard by his doing, and his father lost to the Odinsleep, Loki was rightful King of Asgard. Finally! As soon as Jotunheim was obliterated, Loki would turn his attention to Midgard. He would need a slave race for the next phase of his plan. "Our plan," the Casket reminds him without mercy. "We have given you power, and in exchange, you will obey us. But for now, enjoy the spoils of victory." _

_Having Sif and the Warriors Three kneel to him tasted sweeter than any wine, but he wanted more. He wanted the one woman who had dared to refuse him. With his older brother banished and the spear Gungnir in his hands, Sif would be his. At least until he tired of her and discarded her. She would know the sting of his rejection. _

"_You sent for me, my king?" Sif said, clearly apprehensive, a state he did nothing to allay as he circled around her with a predatory gaze. The location of their meeting in his private chambers did little to settle her discomfort. _

"_Oh, yes. I have need of you," he said, his most frightening smile clearly displayed._

"_I am yours to command," she replied hesitantly, obviously hoping that some military mission is forthcoming, as she appeared to him clad in her battle armor. "Shall I summon the Warriors Three?"_

"_No, no. They hold no interest for me where this matter is concerned." He gradually lessened the diameter of the circles he makes around her, until he was close enough to touch the single braid that hangs down her back. Loki saw her flinch, but he remained delighted nonetheless. It would make her conquest that much sweeter. _

"_And what matter is that, your highness?" She stood firm, chin up defiantly, though the first inklings of his true intentions plagued her mind. _

"_Is this how you greet your king?" He used Gungnir to motion towards her standing posture. _

_Silently, she clasped her fist over her heart and dropped to one knee. _

"_Ah, much better." He stopped in front of her. "You see, I find myself a king without a queen, a situation that my mother assures me must not continue for long. And with Thor gone-" _

"_Then bring him back," Sif interrupted. _

"_Silence!" He slammed the bottom of the spear against the floor, sending shockwaves through the rock. His madness leaked into his voice, he knew, but the Casket was always there, pushing him. _

"_Take her, Loki. She is strong and fierce, but once you tame her, she will bear you strong children to grow your legacy. With your magic, her battle skills, and our guidance, your children will rule all of the Nine Realms. Take her, Loki. Break her to your will," it shouted in his mind, "wipe away any notion of bedding your brother that she ever had. Make her yours. Take her. Take her now." It would not quiet and he has had no respite from it for days, no peace. _

"_I have a proposition for you, my lady," he said, the menace in his voice clear. _

"_The answer is no, Loki, as it always has been." She realized her mistake as he threw his head back and laughed. _

_He nodded at the guards by the door and they drug in four weeping, frightened girls, barely into womanhood. Loki turned to circle the crying girls, but his eyes were on Sif. _

"_These are my other choices. Pretty, are they not?" Loki was repulsed by the idea of forcing himself upon the four virginal girls, but the voice in his head was prepared to force him. Any semblance of sanity he was allowed to hold on to depended upon the outcome of this dance. _

"_What are you doing, Loki?" Sif stood and made a move to advance on him, but he lashed out with his magic and brought her back to her knees with barely a wave of his fingers. His innate magic, augmented by the Casket and Gungnir made him drunk with such power. _

"_I am offering you a choice, my lady." He brushed his fingertips across the cheek of one of the young girls before fisting her hair and yanking her head back, drawing a scream from her throat. He leaned down until the horns of his helmet brushed against her ear, all the while keeping his eyes locked with Sif's. "Hush, girl," he said reassuringly. "Soon this one touch of my hand will seem like a kindness." _

"_Let them go, Loki," Sif said in the calm, level voice she used before battle, when her emotions left her. _

_The cold blue power burned him from within. "Take her. Bed her." _

"_Will you offer yourself in their stead, Lady Sif? That is my price. Offer yourself to me willingly and completely." He pulled harder on the young girl's hair, bringing her to her feet where he held her against his body and stroked a hand over her small breast. "Give yourself to me, mind, body, and soul, and I will forsake all others for you." _

"_For now," the Casket reminded him. _

_Sif dropped her gaze to the floor and softened the straightness of her spine. "I will pay your price." _

_Two weeks later_

_As he glanced down into the void below him, Odin's voice pierced him like a dagger through his heart. "No, Loki," was all he said, but it said everything there was to say about the Allfather's feelings for him. At least in the void he would be granted release. Release from his torment, his madness, his father's expectations, his brother's constant besting of him… release from that blue voice that haunted him every minute of every day. The darkness below was peace. _

_And he fell, gratefully. He wanted nothing more than to leave his sins behind, and never again look up the disappointment of his adoptive family. The family that always found him lacking. _

_After the first few hundred feet, there was no wind, no sound, no sensation of falling, only the blackness and the cold. He surrendered himself to it willingly. _

_It was Thanos who found him there, on the brink of death, and the voice which had gone nearly silent in the void roared back to life. The Other was right. In the end, he did long for something as sweet as pain. _

_Six Months Ago_

"_Find a way out," the voice hissed in his mind, full of anger, burning every nerve ending in his body simultaneously. _

_Loki paced up and down his cell frantically, holding his head, muttering to himself then shouting. "I'm trying, you bastards!"_

"_Find a way out."_

"_There IS no way out of this cell! I've told you. I've told you a thousand times today!" He threw a pitcher against the wall, enjoying the sight of it shattering until the pain renewed tenfold. _

"_Find a way out." _

"_If you want me out so badly, you cowards, you will have to do it from the outside."_

"_Find a way out."_

"_THERE IS NO WAY OUT!"_

"_Find a way out."_

_Loki paced in his bare feet until they bled, not even noticing the shards of the pitcher as they pushed their way into his feet, deeper with every step. "Leave me, please…" _

"_Find a way out."_

_Finally, too exhausted to continue, he slid down the wall, holding his head and pleading with the cold, blue darkness. "Please leave me alone." _

"_Find a way out." _

"_Let me die… please…" he begged. _

"_Find a way out." _


	13. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

From childhood's hour I have not been  
As others were; I have not seen  
As others saw; I could not bring  
My passions from a common spring.  
From the same source I have not taken  
My sorrow; I could not awaken  
My heart to joy at the same tone;  
And all I loved, I loved alone.

-Alone by Edgar Allan Poe

Eir waited calmly as the Casket attempted to bait her into a reaction with each bit of Loki's history, but she gave it no such satisfaction. Yes, she would mourn for Loki and for those he had wronged, but there was nothing she could do, no action she could take which would ever change the past. The Casket fed on anger, despair, and hatred, and so she simply starved it. Such emotions had no place in her magic or in healing, and with Loki weakened she became a shelter for his mind, wrapping herself around it and offering him safe harbor. To her great relief, he accepted her help, and she used that to cut him off from the Casket's influence. This far removed from the both the Tesseract and the Casket itself, its hold on Loki withered slowly, but it was not the only sentience with patience.

She magically sheltered Loki like that for what seemed like hours, utterly lost to the metaphysical battle. Very slowly and gently, in a way the Casket's power had never anticipated, she pushed it back, weaving her spell to occupy the space behind Loki's heart and force that blue energy back out its tiny hole in Loki's shields, like toothpaste from a tube. Finally, as Eir began to feel that the end was in sight, she was blindsided. While she had been focused on depriving the Casket of Loki's power and protecting herself and Loki from its wrath, she missed its riposte.

The Casket's power waned, yes, but it redirected into the immature parasites still harbored within Loki's abdomen. They grew larger, fueled by that magic, and as they moved towards his heart, they released their toxin in vast quantities.

No, she couldn't fight the Casket and counter the effects of the Brittleberry at the same time. Sensing her recognition, the Casket spoke to her. "If we cannot have him," it whispered, a tendril of its cool essence wrapping itself around her, "then no one will. We promised him death, a painful, torturous death if he failed us, and we always keep our promises."

"You will not have him. He is under my protection," she said defiantly.

"We will extinguish both of you unless you take his place. We have no further use for this failure of a man."

The time for patience, it appeared, was over. If she waited to address either problem, Loki would die, of that she was certain. So she gathered her power and wove the spell.

Loki's voice whispered to her from underneath her shields, sad and quiet. "Let me go, Eir. Let them have me. I'm not worth it."

"I promised your mother. I promised Frigga," she said, binding her life energy to the spell in what had always been a sorcerer's last resort. When it worked, it worked spectacularly, but left the wielder weak and utterly exposed. When it failed, the weaver often died along with the spell.

If she were lucky, Loki thought, she would merely die, but he knew the Casket would not pass up an opportunity to control someone of her power, especially when she would have absolutely no means to resist. "No, Eir…" He tried to slip out of her shields, to break the magical conduit between them, but it was already too late.

He drowned in her power, his vision filled with a lavender glow so bright it blinded him, but far from being unpleasant, Loki found himself falling willingly into its peaceful embrace. He could smell her… the normally faint scent of the first warm spring rains in Asgard and the moonflowers that only she could make bloom during the daytime… it was all around him as he floated. Loki could even hear her, not with any words, just the gentlest of murmurs, the sweet cadence of her voice as it soothed him. She offered him not only freedom but forgiveness. It reminded him of one of his earliest and happiest memories, of sitting on his mother's lap, wrapped in her arms while she sang him to sleep... before he touched the Casket, before its will became his own.

But why? Why would she risk herself for him, or even for a promise to a woman who stood by and let her be banished to the primitive, barbarian-infested wasteland of Midgard?

Eir released the magic that bound him through the bracers. Loki found it to be an undeserved mercy. They both knew that if she died while the connection remained, Loki would follow her into death, as well he should for how he wronged her. For long moments, Loki felt Eir push back the blue power that had plagued him for so long while he allowed himself to be overwhelmed by the sweet peace of her power.

Perhaps it was his own fear of reprisal from the Casket, which he knew from experience could be very harsh indeed, or the sheer terror at the idea that the first time in a millennium he would be alone in his own mind, but when Eir's attack stumbled, Loki propelled his own magic outwards to join with hers. He reinforced her shields then intertwined the strands of his own energy with hers to match hers in that last, desperate sacrificial spell, binding his life to hers. He would not let her die, not for him, and certainly not alone.

"Hmmm…Asgardian sex doesn't look as… sexy as I thought it would." Tony said, taking up a vantage point behind the others as they stood outside of the containment module, watching.

Natasha rolled her eyes at Tony's comment but said nothing. Clint, however, did not have the same restraint. "Have some respect, Stark," he said while refusing to tear his eyes away from Loki. If that bastard so much as flinched, Clint would enjoy killing him.

"Defensive much?" Was Tony's reply. He was bored and it was just too easy. "So are you and the good doctor an item now? I hear she-"

"Enough, both of you!" Steve Rogers said, holding his shield ready at his side and his chin up, though his eyes did not waver from the two Asgardians either. They all knew that this was would end in bloodshed; the only question was who was going to bleed first.

As it turned out, it was Eir. A trickle of blood flowed down silently from her ears to her neck, staining her white collar deep crimson, just as a faint blue glow suffused the chamber and the walls imploded with a deafening pop.

Those outside the cell saw Loki raise his hands at that instant and of course they attributed the violence to him, at least until the dust settled and there was a discrete ring of pulverized plastic in an oval around the two gods while they remained untouched by the debris.

Of course, Tony was the first one into the wreckage, where he found a pale and very worried-looking Loki gently stroking Eir's cheek. "Eir?" Loki spoke to her softly and with a tenderness none of the assembled audience expected. "Can you hear me?"

She lifted her head from Loki's chest as if she had heard none of his words, which she hadn't owing to the rupture of her ear drums. Her face held a mixture of surprise and wonder as she reached out to touch his cheek, then as if suddenly remembering, she pulled it back quickly. Holding the dizziness and nausea at bay took all of her concentration.

"Sorry to interrupt." Tony said, not really meaning it. "Hey, what's up Doc? And more importantly, why did you bring this insane megalomaniac to my newly renovated brainchild? You know I have to redecorate every time he stops by." He reached for Eir's hand when she didn't respond, but at that touch Eir pulled her hand away and shook her head, looking back towards Loki with new concern. She could see the parasites moving under his skin as he clenched his teeth and shook his head "no" very slightly, imploring her with his eyes not to say anything.

Tony looked pointedly at the Captain. "We need a medical team in the containment suite," Steve said into his communicator as he too stepped inside.

Grateful that Eir had released him from the bracers' magic, Loki was free to use what remained of his own. He knew she feared bringing him with her into death if their attempt failed, but now that they both lived, he could her kindness. Healing magic was never his strength but it was hardly unknown to him; he had used it on the battlefield many times, and neither was this the first time he'd had to push through physical pain to work a spell. Raising his hands to cup Eir's face, he stared into her eyes and began the incantation with a reverence for her that felt strange, even with what they had just been through. He wasn't used to feeling this way about someone, anyone.

He would not finish the spell, however. Tony's fist crashed into Loki's face with enough force to interrupt the flow of magic, and if he were human, it would have split his skull. The part that enraged him, however, was the fact that Iron Man and Captain America pulled Eir off of him and into the far corner while Clint Barton's accusing face occupied his entire field of vision.

"Don't fucking move, Loki. You are going to tell me what you did to her or I will kill you."

"I was trying to heal her, you idiot," Loki spat at him. "Why would I want to hurt her? She's my bondmate and my wife."

Everything stopped in the room at that moment as everyone stared, first at Loki, then at Eir, waiting for some kind of explanation.

By this point, Eir's ears healed by her own magic and she shrugged away from Tony and Steve. "How long before the medical team gets here?" She stumbled slightly before regaining her composure.

Captain cleared his throat pointedly. "Dr. Eklund, I believe we need an explanation of what happened here before we proceed, if you don't mind."

Eir nodded and carefully avoided looking at Loki. She chose instead to focus her attention on Captain Rogers, who was the most likely to be reasonable. "Fine. Yes, we were married for three hours before the Allfather annulled it amidst my considerable disgrace and resultant immediate exile here eight hundred years ago."

Loki opened his mouth but Eir held up her hand sharply. "Shut up, Loki, for once in your life."

Natasha and Clint both smiled as a startled Loki complied, while Tony leaned back and crossed his arms, seemingly very amused. Only Steve maintained his businesslike demeanor, trying to hide his discomfort at the mention of marital dishonor on the wedding night.

Eir let out a long breath and continued. "Apparently, since childhood, Loki has been compelled by the same entity that created the Tesseract and the scepter he used to control most of those who helped him in the attack here." She glanced at Clint. "Imagine what he did to your mind multiplied to the point that its will became indistinguishable from his own. I apologize for bringing him here, truly, but I had to get him away from Asgard to increase the chance that I could free him." She glanced at Loki's eyes and immediately felt the reverberations of their newly-formed bond. Far from the irritation she expected to feel from Loki, she found gratitude and sorrow. "It worked, but there are complications."

Everyone expected Loki to say something in an attempt to exonerate himself from all wrongdoing, but he remained silent. He did his best to hide the pain as the parasites slowly pushed their way up into his chest, seeking his heart, but that façade rapidly became impossible. "Eir, may I speak to you a moment in private?" Loki asked through gritted teeth. He resolved not to beg in front of these mortals just as a wave of toxin sent his arms and legs flailing uncontrollably.

"Loki!" Eir rushed to his side. She pushed her power into him, finding at least a dozen maturing parasites and a rapidly increasing concentration of neurotoxin.

She looked back at the group with worried eyes. "There isn't time for an explanation other than this: due to the magic involved in excising that force from Loki's mind, if he dies, I will die as well. We are both needed to repair the Bifrost, without which Thor and the armies of Asgard will not be able to safely return to Earth to help you against the Mad Titan and forces far more deadly than the Chitauri." She looked at Steve, her eyes intense and pleading. "I can save him, mind and body both. I can convince him to help you, Earth, and maybe even Asgard, but not if we are both dead."

Steve looked at the others and took in the uncertainty in all of their faces except for one. Kneeling next to Eir, Hawkeye touched her cheek gently and looked into her eyes for any sign that she was being controlled. Finding none, he leaned down to Loki's ear and whispered something in the man's ear that no one else could hear.

Fighting the pain and spasms in his muscles, Loki nodded curtly and said, "Agreed."

Hawkeye inclined his head towards the Captain and that was it. "What do you need, Doctor?"

Three hours later, Eir threw her bloody gloves and gown into the trash and sank down into the chair next to Loki's bed. The setting was very different from a healing room in Asgard, but surgery was no less of an unknown to her. With her magic nearly tapped out, she'd used her skills as a surgeon to remove the parasites. It took six times the normal dose of anesthesia and four times the benzodiazepines, but the task was done. She kept him sedated to buy herself time to heal the muscle damage and neutralize the toxin, but she finally had a glimmer of hope that he was out of danger from everything but himself.

She wanted to hold onto these moments, when Loki was relaxed and quiet, when he looked so at peace that she could almost forget everything he had done. While she understood that many of his actions were dictated by the Casket, it was his greed for power that allowed the Casket its control. He had invited in the very thing that nearly destroyed him, and even though she succeeded in freeing his mind, there was the very real possibility that it simply wouldn't matter. There were too many people he'd harmed, too many wrongs to simply forget or even forgive.

"Dr. Eklund? Do you need anything else?" Sue, one of her favorite nurses, asked as she peeked through the doorway.

"No, thank you. Get some rest," Eir said with a forced smile. She could hardly see straight through the exhaustion of the last few days. She had healed on a thousand battlefields and not felt this spent.

"Honestly, Doc, you look like you're the one who needs the rest. Do you want coffee? Or maybe a cot?"

"Coffee sounds good. Can you sit with him for a few minutes while I run down to the lounge?"

"Hell no," Sue said with a smile. "I draw the line at being alone with the god that nearly destroyed New York, even if he is getting enough proprofol to drop six horses. I'll get the coffee."

"Thanks," Eir said, her attention already refocused on the man in front of her. Her magic reached out to brush against his, reassuring herself with that simple touch, the lifebond equivalent of lovers holding hands. It was wrong of her, in a way, to touch him like this without his permission or awareness, but deep down she realized that this would be the only kind of intimacy with him she would ever have and so she savored it while she could. Giving in to it, she rested her hand on his bare arm and settled her head on the raised mattress beside his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Beneath the betadine and alcohol, he smelled like the first snow in the mountains, the leather of his armor, and something very male and uniquely his own that both soothed and excited. Perhaps it was that complexity which had made him so attractive all those years ago; he was simultaneously gentle and sublimely dangerous, comforting yet possessive, passionate and relentless but all the while carrying that casual air of aloofness which so defined him. The contrast fascinated her as she always considered herself a simple person with uncomplicated motives.

_Eight hundred years ago_

"_You are not simple," Loki chastised her with a small smirk, filling her cup with a dark, sweet red wine. "I would never marry a woman so banal. Your skill with magic rivals that of the great sorcerers and healers of old, and you must possess considerable diplomatic skills as even the Jotuns honor and welcome you into their hall."_

"_You and your brother lead armies into battle and someday he will rely on you to ensure the safety and prosperity of the kingdom." Loki tried to hide his slight displeasure at the mention of his brother, but Eir just smiled at him innocently. "I simply go where I am summoned and heal those in need. I spend all my days in the healing rooms, whereas the servants say that you have become quite the desirable companion to the ladies of the court," she teased, while at the same time hoping that he would tell her something that would reassure her that his days of philandering were at their end. _

_Taking a sip of her wine, she savored the taste of it on her tongue, waiting for her betrothed to provide his answer. "Mmmmm…that is delicious," Eir said, taking another sip before laying back on the blanket Loki had spread out for them on side of a hill next to a perfectly serene lake. They were completely alone in that secluded paradise, their horses grazing happily nearby while they talked. She closed her eyes and stretched out, not wanting to see his face in case she had angered him with her presumption. Society dictated that royal males were allowed to discretely indulge their physical desires, while queens and princesses indulged only with their husbands to ensure the bloodlines of their children. Eir did not mind her role; she only wanted Loki, but she was desperately afraid she would not be able to please him physically or intellectually. _

"_Hmm." Loki laid down on his side next to her, propped up on his elbow as he chose the finest strawberry and held it in front of her lips. "You want to know if I plan to give up my other lovers once we are married." His tone was neutral, giving nothing away. _

_Eir felt the flesh of the berry slide across her lower lip and she finally opened her eyes. Loki's smile and the playfulness in his gaze immediately set her at ease, so she bit down on the offered strawberry, a trail of juice slipping out of the corner of her mouth. While her heart hammered in her chest, his lips slowly enveloped the remainder of the strawberry and he made quite a show of enjoying it. Completely transfixed by his seductive eyes and the low moan of pleasure as he moved closer to her, she could barely breathe when his thumb gathered up the forgotten berry juice and drug it across her lower lip before it found its way into his mouth where Loki licked the remainder away. _

_Her entire world narrowed down to the sight of Loki hovering above her, one palm pressed lightly against the side of her neck while desire flickered across the deep green of his eyes and his pupils dilated. "I already have. You are the only woman I want, Eir." He closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against hers. He waited for her to relax and give herself over to his touch before sweeping his tongue over her lower lip, making her tremble. She opened for him so eagerly. Loki was gentle with her, letting her feel the desire in his kiss without pushing the bounds of pre-marital propriety too far. He tasted sweet like the wine and his lips were so soft, Eir allowed herself to become lost in the feel of him, wanting nothing more than to be his forever. _

"Erin?" Someone was shaking her shoulder. "Erin?"

"Clint?" She sat up and tried to focus through the exhaustion. Momentarily ignoring Clint, she reestablished the magical connection to Loki that allowed her to monitor his health. That task completed, she turned back to Hawkeye and said, "I apologize. I should not have fallen asleep."

Clint pulled a chair closer and handed her a fresh cup of coffee. The one Sue must have left lay cold on the small table nearby. "No need to apologize. You look like you could use the rest," he said with a casual smile as he sat down. "You want me to get somebody?" he asked, motioning towards the door, but Eir shook her head. "So, were you really married to Loki?"

She took a long sip and hoped the caffeine would work quickly. "For a few hours, and in name only."

"What does that mean, 'in name only'?"

"It was never consummated," she stared at one of the monitors so she wouldn't have to look at either of the two men.

Clint considered her answer for a time as he watched her. "Did you love him?"

"Yes," she said simply. Normally she would have changed the subject, but after all Clint had risked for her today, satisfying his curiosity seemed a small price to pay.

"I'm sorry," Clint said simply. "I'm sorry he hurt you." He rested his hand on her arm platonically, offering her a comfort that she neither expected nor felt she deserved.

She patted his hand once and nodded. "It's alright. I learned to let these things go. If I had held a grudge again him, it would have changed nothing." She pulled away from him slightly and he let her go, albeit with some reluctance.

"Still. If you want to talk about it…"

"Thank you, Clint, for the offer and for what you did earlier, for trusting me. I know how difficult that must have been for you, and I will always be in your debt."

"Enough in debt that you'll consider that dinner with me?" He looked so hopeful that Eir couldn't bring herself to say no outright.

"When all of this with Loki is finished, I'll have dinner with you, Clint, but you need to understand something. Exile helped me understand that the Norns planned my fate to exclude romantic love. I don't date and I don't sleep around. There's a reason they call me 'The Nun'."

"None of the nurses think you know about that," he said with a wink. "We will go as friends, then," he said as he pressed the two spheres she had given him and Natasha into her palm before kissing the back of her hand lightly. "I don't know anything about those creepy old women, but don't let Loki's actions steal a chance at joy. His greatest mistake was letting you go, and he's made a lot of mistakes." He closed the door quietly behind him as he left.


	14. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The caged bird sings  
with fearful trill  
of the things unknown  
but longed for still

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

With her last healing spell finished, Eir turned off Loki's sedation and waited for him to wake. She could not remember the last time she had felt so exhausted or when she last had a proper night's sleep. On Midgard, she very rarely used her magic to do more than seal a few blood vessels or ease a modicum of pain or swelling, just enough to save a life or provide some comfort, not so much that she would be labeled a witch, a saint, or a future government lab test subject. Thor's appearance in New Mexico allowed her the opportunity to come forward to SHIELD and offer her skills to any inhabitants of the other realms they came across, as well as the others with unique physiologies that made them fall outside of the normal parameters. Because she came to them with excellent references, they perceived her as more of an ally than a threat, and she was able to go on with her life as a human physician as well.

Bringing Loki here, enlisting the help of the Avengers, and destroying the containment suite jeopardized the relationship she had so carefully built with SHIELD. Surprised that Director Fury or one of his agents had not already stormed in demanding an explanation, it was likely that they already planned something more sinister than asking her to clean out her desk and leave the planet. The fact that she was here, casting her lot with a known war criminal made such an unpleasant confrontation inevitable. Were they waiting to see if Loki survived? It surely became a far simpler matter for them if he did not.

The amount of energy required to Realmwalk was far beyond what she currently possessed, and in order to restore her power, she needed sleep and food, during which time she would be vulnerable, very vulnerable. Even teleporting within Midgard was impossible in her current state and she seriously doubted SHIELD would allow the two of them to simply walk outside and hail a taxi, even with the bracers' ability to literally enslave him. While Clint's visit reassured her that she still had his trust, she couldn't say the same about any of the others. It had always been far easier to lose someone's confidence than to gain it.

Eir realized that during her mental deliberations, she'd unconsciously been holding Loki's hand. It felt comforting and safe, far more so than her reminiscing about the past could have rendered. The bond between them pulsed softly, their magic ebbing and flowing like waves lapping against the shore before inevitably retreating and returning, but the slowly tide rose towards her. Even with the heavy sedation, she knew Loki had been slowly feeding her energy to sustain both her body and her ability to heal, or perhaps she unknowingly leeched it from him, she wasn't certain. It was likely that she could shut down or slow the transfer, but that required expending the energy she so desperately needed to conserve.

The lifebond blurred the boundaries between their magic and created a sort of empathic link as well, but most importantly, it allowed them to become more than merely the sum of their respective abilities. With a singular will, they could be as powerful as Odin and Frigga in their prime and strong enough to forge a new Bifrost, of that she had no longer harbored any doubts. It was only Loki's cooperation which concerned her.

Lost in thought, she didn't even hear Clint enter the room. It was the smell of food that caused her to stir, and she quickly let go of Loki's hand. "Chicken parmesan or osso buco?" he said, holding out the boxes to her with a smile.

"Thank you," she said, taking the chicken parmesan, "you shouldn't have."

"You're welcome, and yes I should have. The nurse said you haven't left his side in thirty-six hours." He sat and began eating from the other box, studying her as he did.

"Not true. I took a quick shower and used the facilities," she said, pointing to the adjoining bathroom while taking another forkful of pasta while carefully avoiding his eyes.

"The staff is worried about you."

She took a long sip of Diet Coke while she considered her response. "Only because they think I'm human."

"I'm worried about you," he said pointedly.

"Say what's on your mind, Agent." She owed him the truth after everything he'd risked.

"You've lost weight since I saw you before your sudden summons to Stark's office and you look exhausted."

"I have endured worse," she said, her eyes resting briefly on Loki's serene face, "and I know my limits."

"Oh, I'm sure you do. But you look like someone who has already exceeded those limits. And don't try to deny it. I've been there too." He watched her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. "Look, I know he hurt you. I don't know how or why, but I can see it in your eyes every time you look at him." Clint took a deep breath when Eir looked away and his demeanor softened. "Damn. I'm sorry, Erin, really. But I need to know, is he worth it?"

She put her fork down and let out a long breath. "I hope so. If I am wrong, I will pay for my mistake with my life, but I promise you that I will not let him be who he was before or do the things he did. I have the means to end both our lives and I will use it if I must, but know that that evil took hold of him as a child. He's never had the opportunity to be his own man, Clint. It was always there, second guessing him, guiding him when he would listen and punishing him when he tried to disobey. I would hope that you, of all people, would understand how precious is the gift of a second chance, and how being forgiven can change you."

Natasha would be dead by his own hand if he hadn't offered her the same. He'd be dead if she hadn't reciprocated after Loki took control of his mind. Clint rubbed his hand over his face quickly. "Yeah, I suppose so," he said, and they both ate in silence for several minutes.

"Clint?"

He looked up at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Did they send you to kill me? Us?"

"What? No!"

"Someone from SHIELD should have been here hours ago demanding answers, probably from the outside of our prison cells. Their absence tells me that they have already made up their mind, and without seeking first-hand assurances, it leaves only one plausible outcome: they mean to eliminate us."

"Actually, SHIELD doesn't know. Stark owns this building and when you left with Thor, he arranged for a malfunction of SHIELD's surveillance systems which you triggered when you returned and called upon Jarvis. Tony gave them a decent cover story about interference from the arc reactor during a routine maintenance cycle, but it won't hold them off forever."

Eir was impressed and in no small measure, humbled. "Please tell him and the others that I am grateful and I am very sorry to have put you in this situation."

"We all agree that we know which side you are on. It's him," he said, pointing to Loki, "that we worry about."

"You'd be a fool not to."

"So are you taking him back to Asgard?"

"Yes, but not right away. He should be physically well enough to travel soon, but I think it best that I evaluate his mental state before returning him to his prison cell underneath the palace where his brother sits on the very throne that Loki coveted for centuries. They have a… complex family dynamic. I hope to give him some time here on Earth in a lower-stress environment to… adjust. And you are correct, my magic is far too depleted right now to travel to Asgard or anywhere else," she said, resting her head on the back of the chair and closing her eyes as she tried to fight off the fatigue.

He rested his hand lightly upon her shoulder. "Erin, do you have somewhere to go? Somewhere safe? You know he can't stay here."

"I have a place upstate, in the Adirondacks. I was hoping to take him here for a little while, but it may be difficult getting past SHIELD."

"You let me worry about that," Clint said with a wink, stuffing his empty food carton into the trash. "How soon can you be ready to leave?"

"Three hours."

"Good. That will give me just enough time."

Eir looked at him quizzically. "For what?"

"To get our ride," he said, winking at her before purposefully striding out the door with a broad smile. He was a man with a mission.

"I thought he would never leave," Loki said, his eyes still closed and his voice slightly hoarse. "He wasn't nearly so tedious when he was my minion."

Eir stood, immediately more alert. "How do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

"No," he said quietly. "Your healing was quite thorough." Trying not to read anything into his statement, she put her forearm under his shoulders and helped him sit far enough forward to drink from a cup of water. Relaxing back against the pillow she adjusted for him, he finally opened his eyes and he watched her with a carefully-schooled expression, giving nothing away.

Eir had a façade of her own and she slipped into it with a practiced ease. "Any nausea or dizziness?" She pulled out her stethoscope and listened to his chest and abdomen while he watched her carefully. Apparently satisfied, she pulled the sheet down from his abdomen and unceremoniously raised his hospital gown up to his chest, taking care to make certain he was still covered from the hips down as she would with any patient in similar circumstances. Just as she began to palpate his abdomen, Loki let out a deep breath and laced his fingers together behind his head as he gave her his best smile, but he was far from the first male to attempt that trick with her. "Loki," she warned, making the second syllable higher pitched than the first.

Whether it was through their bond or her unconscious read of his body language, she felt his tenuous confidence slip precipitously with that one small utterance of his name and she instantly regretted it. Never had she imagined that Loki's ego would be so fragile. He'd always been so utterly sure of himself, the dashing prince with the profound intellect and the razor-sharp wit. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Whatever for?" He said flatly. His arms returned to his sides and he stared at the ceiling while she finished her exam, his answers to her inquiries factual but dispassionate. When she finished, she handed him the simple tunic and black pants that he arrived in and turned her back to allow him some privacy.

She heard the rustling of him removing his hospital gown. "Now that you know who I am, _what_ I am, you can't stand to look at me. Is that it?" His voice was full of bitterness as he shoved his legs into the worn pants.

"Loki-"

"What did they promise you to heal a monster like me? An end to your exile? The return of your pristine reputation?"

Keeping her voice calm and even, she replied, "Yes, but I-"

Increasingly agitated, she could hear him pacing. "Odin and Thor would like nothing better than for me to _rot_ in that cell, but I can't." She heard him stop and then silence. "I won't." The bed creaked as he sat down again and looking over her shoulder, Eir found his face buried in his hands while he took long ragged breaths. "And now," he said more calmly, his voice now tainted with despair, "even with the Casket banished, I am still denied the last shred of my dignity. I am forbidden from dying in the time and manner of my choosing, not theirs."

With just two long strides, Eir closed the distance between them and wrapped him in her arms, resting her cheek on the top of his head. "It's okay, Loki, it's okay," she murmured over and over to him as he wept silently. It broke her heart to see him like this.

When he finally circled his arms around her waist, he did so tentatively, so very afraid of her rejection. When she didn't pull away, he held her more tightly as if he couldn't bear it if she changed her mind, and many minutes later as she ran her fingers through his hair, he finally began to relax. Frigga had done much the same to soothe him when he was a boy.

"I can't do it now. I won't do that to you," he said, finally looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes, looking so utterly lost. Loki may have had a reputation as an expert liar but she could feel the veracity of his words through their bond. He was too emotionally raw and his mind too overwhelmed to lie to her at that moment.

"I know. I know," she whispered to him, running her hand gently across the bare skin of his upper back. His eyes closed and he seemed to finally relax, but it was short-lived.

Without warning, he pushed her away and glared at her. "How can you even stand to touch me? Don't say you weren't repulsed when you found out what I really am!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Are you so degraded now that you would embrace any monster within your reach? Or have you become just like these… these _mortals_. Tell me, how many of them have you taken to your bed?"

"Loki, let go of me," Eir said, her voice calm but assertive in tone.

He shook her again, shouting now. "Are you fucking that pathetic little archer that brought you dinner?"

"Remove your hands," she commanded, putting power that she really couldn't spare behind those words.

"Tell me!" He was angry, she knew, but there was a desperation in his eyes born out of fear.

The door clicked open and Steve Rogers' stepped through, shield at the ready. "Doctor, is there a prob—"

Eir waited for it, knew it was coming, and as soon as Loki's gaze flickered to the door, she kneed him in the groin and watched as he collapsed onto the floor in the fetal position.

"No, Captain," said Eir, going to her bag for a potion. "No problem."


	15. Chapter 13

Thanks to all of my reviewers, especially LadyK1138, Loki'sdreamer, roxyzena007, Empress of Verace, and LuresaSWTOR. Your reviews keep me writing.

Chapter 13

No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness. – Aristotle

"My mistake," Steve said, cringing slightly at Loki's whimpers. "Clearly you have this situation under control."

"I appreciate your concern, Captain, but if you could just give us a few minutes." Eir retrieved a potion from her bag and knelt next to Loki's head, brushing his hair back from his face like he was a child.

"Sure, yeah. I'll just wait outside," said Steve, shaking his head slightly as he closed the door behind him.

"So, Loki, this is how it's going to go," she said quietly to him, stroking his cheek. "You are going to promise to behave. You will follow my instructions, be polite to all of the people who risked their lives for you upon my request, and most importantly, you will _not _destroy the trust I have worked so hard to build with them and the other humans. You may have ruined my name in Asgard and Vanaheim, but I will not allow you to do the same here. Midgard is my home, Loki, and you will _not _take it from me."

Her words held a quiet resolve without being threatening, but her eyes were hard. "Give me your word," she continued, "and I will give you a potion to ease the pain for the trip. If you refuse, I will return you to your cell and make sure that you sing falsetto for the rest of your natural life. Do we understand each other, Loki?" She smiled at him a forced sweetness as he appraised her, looking for any sign of weakness. Finding none, he couldn't help but laugh. This was not the shy, demure girl that he remembered. This woman was a goddess.

"I agree to your terms, Lady Eir," he said, giving her a short incline of his head to hide his admiring smile before the next wave of nauseating pain hit him.

She helped him up to a sitting position and fed him the potion, letting him lean on her while they waited for it to take effect. His brow relaxed as the pain eased, though she knew it wasn't enough to completely relieve it. He needed the reminder of their agreement while they traveled, she thought, and he would heal within hours all on his own. "Better?" she asked.

Instead of answering, he merely watched her, as if he was truly seeing her for the first time. Even in her exhausted state, she was breathtakingly beautiful, he decided, with her hair tied back in a loose braid, a few stray reddish-blonde hairs framing the angles of her jaw. Her intelligence and skill with magic had not escaped his notice before, but the innocence her eyes once held had been replaced with a mixture of determination and the fortitude that came from hard lessons learned. Gone was the innocent maiden that he could impress with a small show of magic and a taste of the privileges of royalty. He'd denied her that sheltered life in the palace surrounded by luxury and the love of a family that she deserved. Because of him, she'd been thrust into the chaos and brutality of the middle ages on Midgard and left to fend for herself.

Many years after her abrupt departure, he learned from a palace guard that Odin had taken pity upon her and offered to find her a royal court in Europe to take her in as an honored guest, and that Frigga tried to give her gold and jewels to grant her what comfort such a depraved world could provide, but she had refused them both. She chose poverty in an exile that should never have happened. He suddenly wanted to ask her why, and what had happened to her to steal away her innocence but the words stuck in his throat. Loki ran his hand through his disheveled hair, trying to work some order back into the chaos of his mind.

"Are you alright, Loki?" She reached up to touch his forehead, but his fingers closed lightly upon her wrist and gently pulled it down to his chest.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, getting to his knees, still staring at her hand as he clutched it to him.

Eir stood with a somewhat relieved expression but she made no move to withdraw from his touch. "Just don't let it happen again. I know you have been through a lot, but you have to keep it together from now on. They can't see you like that, okay?"

"I'm sorry…" _For everything I did to you because I was weak, because I should have fought harder against the Casket, because I hurt you, _he wanted to say, but the words would not come. He brought Eir's hand to his cheek, resting it there with closed eyes as he rubbed his thumb across her smooth skin. At any moment, he expected to feel a searing pain behind his eyes for even considering that admission of his weakness, but for once, it never came. It was so _quiet_ in his mind now, that incessant humming and whispering of voices now so frightfully absent. Her touch was the only thing that filled the void and made him feel sane, grounded… and safe, he realized rubbing his cheek against her hand like a cat, the repetitive motion calming him.

When the fingertips of her other hand touched his face, he sighed contentedly at receiving such a boon. "I know, Loki. You'll be alright. I'm here to help you." Loki only nodded his acceptance as he clung to her with a pleading desperation. "I would like to go to my quarters and pack a few things for our trip. Will you come with me, Loki?" She stood up and tried to encourage him to do the same.

When he looked up at her, there were unshed tears in his eyes. "Don't leave me Eir, please. Don't leave me again." She could feel the storm of his emotions through the bond, so she returned to him a sense of rock-solid calm.

Dropping to her knees in front of him, Eir said, "I'm not leaving you. We are going together, Loki. Someplace quiet, away from the city, were we can both rest. I won't leave you. Do you think you can do that? Come away with me, where we can sit in the sun by the lake, like we used to?"

"I think so."

"Good," she said, pulling him to his feet. "Now let's go downstairs and gather what we need for our journey."

Eir gave a quick nod as they passed Steve where he stood guard outside of Loki's room. "How is your patient, Doctor?" he asked, never taking his eyes off of Loki.

"We'll manage, Captain," said Eir, knowing that he would understand her meaning. "We are going to stop by my quarters briefly, if that's alright with you."

"Of course," said Steve. "After you, ma'am." He motioned ahead of him in the direction of the elevators.

None of them spoke during the few minutes it took to get to her quarters, but during the elevator ride, Loki kept the back of his fingers pressed against hers and she could feel his nervous energy simmering under the surface.

Outside of her door, Steve cleared his throat. "Do you want me to come inside with you, Doctor?"

"No, but thank you. We will only be a few minutes," she said, stepping inside, but leaving the door open, knowing it would reassure her guardian to be able to see and hear her.

Loki followed her, but as he glanced around the small studio apartment, he frowned. His cell was larger and more opulent than these Spartan accommodations. The unadorned pine furniture and utilitarian fabrics seemed better suited to the home of a peasant. Even his former servants lived better. "Do the mortals not grant you payment for your services?"

"They do."

"Are healers, doctors, not valued here?"

"We are," she said, folding some clothing and placing it in a small bag.

"Did Mother not compensate you for your trouble?"

Eir moved into the bathroom and he followed her while she added a handful of items.

"I have enough money, Loki."

"Then does the Man of Iron force you to live like a serf?"

She stopped, put down the bag, and moved to stand in front of him, where she could see his eyes. "No, Loki. I have chosen to live a very simple life since I came to Midgard. I have what I need."

He glanced around the apartment once more. "You should have lived like a queen. My queen," he said regretfully.

"I don't dwell on the past. What's done is done, and perhaps it is for the best. I have relieved the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people, helped countless women bring their children safely into the world, and brought comfort to the dying. On Midgard, I live with honor and I have earned the respect of many whose opinion I value. And for the record, Loki, I never cared about being queen, or even a princess."

"If not for the wealth and title, then what else did the Allfather offer you as incentive to agree to our marriage contract?" He kept his gaze averted from her as he waited.

After a moment of hesitation, Eir walked away from him and finished her packing in silence, keeping her back turned to him.

She walked out of the room without looking back and Loki followed her down the hall. "Eir, wait."

Steve partially stepped into his way, not enough to block the corridor, but just enough to get his attention. "Are you deliberately trying to upset her? I took you for a faster learner."

Remembering his pact with Eir, Loki said, "This is none of your concern." He did his best to keep the contempt from his voice.

"It is when you are disrespectful to a good woman, one who has risked everything for you, by the way, because she thinks you can be a better man. It's time you started proving that, Loki."

"Or what?" Loki said, feeling his anger rise, "you will use force against me?"

"Oh, no. I'll leave that to her," he motioned down the corridor and Loki walked off after Eir.

Twenty minutes later, they sat next to each other in Tony's office, Loki nursing a glass of scotch and Eir resting with her eyes closed while they waited. Tony sat opposite, studying them as the fingers of Loki's left hand brushed up against Eir's. She seemed to either not notice or not to react.

"So what's your deal, Loki?"

"Honestly, I don't know," he said, looking at Eir.

"No new plans for world domination? I'm disappointed," he smirked.

Tony had to admit that both of them looked like Hell. A year ago, he would never have guessed that he and the leader of the Chitauri would be calmly sharing a bottle of single malt, but in the last few years, many strange things had happened.

Loki nursed his drink in silence, never letting his gaze wander far from the woman at his side.

"So the two of you were married?" Tony asked. Pepper promised to make him sleep on the couch if he didn't get the details.

"For a few hours, yes." Loki's eyes softened slightly, a detail Tony didn't miss.

"Divorce work the same way in Asgard as it does here? Did she get half your money and the dog?"

Gods, this man was tedious, Loki thought, though he did his best to keep his thoughts to himself. "It was annulled without exchange of property and we possessed no pets."

Assuming that Eir must be asleep by her regular breathing and immobility, Tony sat forward in his seat and pressed his advantage. "She never would tell me, or Fury for that matter, why she couldn't go home, but I want to hear it from you that she was blameless, that it was your fault she was banished, because I think it was."

"Mr. Stark, please don't," said Eir without lifting her head or her eyelids. "Now is not the time."

"Sorry, Doc, but I want to get one thing completely clear. If Loki steps even one toe out of line, if he hurts you or anyone else, in any way, I will have the Avengers, including Banner, so far up his ass that he will cry for his momma." Turning his attention to the future recipient said beating, he continued, "and this time we won't turn you over to your brother. While I'd prefer to kill you, I don't want anything to happen to Dr. Eklund, so I think the lot of us will just beat you to within an inch of your life and then we'll keep you in a perpetual coma with mega doses of propofol. I already placed the order with the manufacturer."

Eir opened her eyes, surprised to see Loki silently nod his assent while staring into his drink. Eir strode over and dropped to her knees in front of Stark, "I swear to you upon my honor, that I will not let it come to that. Loki shall do no further evil in Midgard or anywhere else while I draw breath." Before either of the men could react, she pulled a small dagger and sliced her palm, offering it to him to seal the oath.

Tony flinched, pushing himself back further into his seat, clearly uncomfortable. "That's really not necessary, Doc. I trust you just fine, it's the God of Lies over here that I—"

Loki's voice turned deadly serious. "Take her hand, Stark. It is an extreme insult to reject a blood oath after you proffered such threats, even more so once the first drops have been shed."

Hesitantly, Stark reached out and clasped her hand like the two were planning to arm wrestle, and he felt a small jolt of electricity at the contact, watching in amazement as a soft purple glow enveloped the area where their skin touched. No trace of blood remained when the magic faded and Eir sat back on her heels, turning weakly to where Loki sat behind her.

"Loki?" She said, her voice barely more than a hoarse whisper. He was there to catch her before her Tony could react.

Loki lifted her gently into his arms. "I've got you," he said with a gentleness that surprised Tony. Cradling her in his arms, Loki sat back down on the sofa and pressed the palm of his hand against her cheek, closing his eyes and murmuring a few soft words that Tony couldn't make out.

"Jarvis? Do we have any other medical doctors in the building, other than Dr. Eklund?"

"Dr. Campbell is on call, but he is not on the premises."

Loki didn't look up when he said, "This isn't something your doctors can mend, Stark. I will take care of her."

"See that you do." Tony stood over Loki, glaring at the Asgardian, who had closed his eyes and was clearly concentrating. Only the steady rise and fall of the woman's breathing kept him from summoning medical help, but in the end, he had to admit that the fewer people that knew about this, the better. Besides, she was their resident expert on Asgardian physiology; anyone else wouldn't know what to do with her anyway.

Several minutes later, Eir's eyelids fluttered open and she took in the sight of both men's faces hovering over hers, full of concern, before she realized that she was laying in Loki's lap. Immediately she tried to extricate herself but her limbs would not adequately cooperate. Or was it Loki's arms which wouldn't budge?

"Relax, Eir," Loki said soothingly, smiling slightly. "Don't you remember Mother's warning? Never to completely expend your magic? Or have you become so lax, living with the mortals?"

Eir closed her eyes again and surrendered to the cool touch of Loki's magic seeping into those empty recesses where her magic should lie. "It's not nice….calling them mortals," she said, drifting off to sleep again.

Loki watched her for a moment before turning his attention to Tony, who fidgeted uncomfortably across from the two. "She just needs rest," said Loki.

"I still don't like this, or you."

"Then you have my apologies. You are not as great a fool as I previously believed."

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?" Tony said, refilling his glass but ignoring Loki's since the god hadn't touched it since the oath. Loki's noncommittal shoulder shrug didn't alleviate his discomfort. "So what does that oath thing mean, anyway?"

Loki smoothed down the hem of Eir's scrub top before he replied. "It means that if she breaches the spirit of her oath, if I commit some act she deems a violation of that trust, then she will die, and because of what happened earlier today, I will join her shortly thereafter."

Considering his words, Tony finally said, "No, not better." He swirled the contents of his glass. "But here's the thing. I'm going to have to give SHIELD something, so spill it. We have two hours before Hawkeye gets back and I want the entire story: what she was doing in Asgard, why she brought you back here, what the hell happened downstairs, how whatever-it-was controlled you, and most importantly, how did it feel to get kicked in the balls by your ex-wife?"


End file.
